In Darkest Zord: A Power Rangers X Vanguard Bandits Fanfic
by Super Saiyan Musashi
Summary: A tyrannical general from another dimension sees Angel Grove as his new empire, and with the most evilly powerful mech ever known, he's ready to claim it. Do the Power Rangers have the courage and the zord power they'll need to stop him?
1. Chapter 1

In Darkest Zord

A Power Rangers X Vanguard Bandits Fanfic

Opening Logo animation

Narrator voice

Today, on Power Rangers: Our heroes enjoy a fun-filled celebration of world culture.

Jason

I'm hosting a demo of lesser known sports from other nations.

Narrator

But the celebration is short lived, as a deadly zord from another world feasts upon the Angel Grove citizenry

Trini

We gotta stop that thing!

Narrator

Can the rangers stop this mysterious tyrant? Find out, on the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers!

Intro Sequence

Two giant mechs violently engaged each other in battle. One was primarily white, with black and red décor. The bulky white mech, known as Ultragunner, sported broad shoulders, a tall white helm, and a black face mask with a yellow visor. The opposing mech Zulwarn featured a primarily ocean blue shell, with light blue details. Zulwarn had a wide pair of blue, black, and red wings comprised of spiky metal "feathers", a skirt-like waistcoat, and an additional face on its chest. After many hard clashes, Ultragunner's great sword glowed in a blinding bright white, while Zulwarn extended its hand and formed a set of black rings lined with stars. From inside the Ultragunner, Bastion shouted "It's over, Faulkner!"

Faulkner retorted "Die, Prince Charming!"

The light and dark energies fused together. With a loud blaring noise, the light quickly spread out then suddenly shrunk and vanished. When the glare cleared, the 2 ATACs [1] were nowhere to be seen, and the other ATAC pilots stared dumbfounded at the empty ground.

[1]: All Terrain Armored Combatant


	2. Chapter 2

Zack sat before an audio mixer with a large pair of headphones on, oblivious to the pink-clad girl walking up to him. She gently touched Zack's shoulder and asked "What'cha got Zack?"

"Whoa!" Zack sharply uttered, slightly jumping at the startling touch. Removing the headphones, he replied, calming down, "Oh hey Kim. I'm picking out the right music for the dance party. I am so pumped for this festival, and I can't wait to play all this hot dance music from all over the world. "

"Nice!" Kimberly replied. "Well, for my contribution to the multicultural festival, I'll be making and modeling some lovely outfits from Renaissance era Europe."

"I'll have to stop by your booth and check it out" Zack affirmed. Turning his attention, Zack shouted to the young man handling a large speaker, "Speakers gonna be ready soon Billy?"

"Affirmative, Zack" Billy responded. "Just finishing the connections to the console. Then we can focus on the lighting."

Trini entered the main room of the youth center from the side areas, pushing a cart with a mounted glass bottle containing a model of a Chinese treasure ship. Jason followed her carrying a large plastic bucket containing many sports balls and various other athletic gear. Zack, Kimberly, and Billy all walked over to greet their friends.

"'Mazing ship, Trini!" Zack declared. "Did you make that?"

Laughing slightly, Trini modestly replied "No, Zack, it wasn't me. Uncle Howard built it. He says building a ship in a bottle with long handled tools helps improve dexterity and focus."

"It certainly exercises obscure muscles." Billy added.

"I bet it does" Jason acknowledged.

"So Jason, what'chu got?" Kimberly asked. The teens turned their heads to Jason accordingly.

"I'm hosting a demo of lesser known sports from other nations. We're going to play a couple exhibition games, and I also picked out some safer games that people at the festival can try out." Jason explained.

"Fun!" Zack opined.

Bulk and Skull slowly strutted into the Youth Center. "What's up, geeks?" Bulk projected. "You preppin' for this nerd-fair."

"'Course, I'll take you anywhere Kimberly. Even some boring old art show!" Skull threw in.

"Or, I could go there to make sure I'm rid of you." Kimberly replied in disgust.

"Hmph," Bulk grunted. Turning his attention to the ship in the bottle, Bulk sarcastically pondered, "How do even get the ship in there anyway? I bet you…" His tone suddenly ceased reflecting sarcasm and started to reflect excited awe, "..are those diamonds in that little treasure box? Skull, if we get them out of there we'll be rich!"

Trini sternly stated, "They're cubic zirconia, Bulk. And you still can't steal them!"

Not listening, Bulk reached his hand inside the bottle opening and squeezed his thick wrist into the body of the bottle. Unable to move his arm in any further, he retracted his arm until his wrist refused to move back through the bottle opening. With an "Uh oh" he pulled it harder but it barely moved. Becoming flustered, he kept trying to force it out, soon saying "Get me out of this thing Skully!"

His tugs prompted Trini to shout "Careful you'll break it!".

Jason darted over and instructed Bulk, "Hold still." Then, he and Trini gripped the ship bottle as Skull came over and wrapped his arms around Bulk's wide waist. Everyone pulled for several seconds, and then suddenly, Bulk's hand popped out of the bottle, causing him and Skull to recoil backwards several steps until Skull fell backwards into a large plastic garbage bin, taking Bulk in with him.

The rangers laughed a little. Jason carefully placed the mounted bottle back on the cart telling Trini, "It's OK. No damage."

Meanwhile, Skull's muffled voice from the garbage can could be heard saying "Get off me, Bulky!" With a hand from Jason, Bulk and Skull climbed out of the wide gray garbage bucket.

After helping the punks out, Jason said to them, "Y'know guys, you might like this so-called 'nerd fair'. There's food there. Ernie's even giving out prizes for eating."

Quickly recovering from the shake up, Skull looked up and asked, "Food?"

Bulk followed in turn, "Prizes for eating?"

Jason confirmed. Bulk headed for the exit of the center saying, "C'mon, Skully! We gotta see about those prizes!"

Tommy briskly walked into the Youth Center, asking Jason, "What are Bulk and Skull so excited about?"

"I told them about Ernie's food challenges," Jason informed him with a devious smile.

"Yeah, that would do it." Tommy agreed.


	3. Chapter 3

Faulkner looked around the bizarre new world laid out before him. Standing atop the Zulwarn, he could see the stone gray rock quarry he found himself in earlier. Near the rock quarry, a busy city with many large buildings could be observed. Cars of varying colors drove around the rectangular city blocks as hundreds of people traversed the sidewalks, each with a different objective. On the opposite side of the city, a vibrant green park of grassy fields and mighty trees displayed its glorious splendor. Beyond the city was a quieter area of smaller buildings and significantly less traffic. Faulkner started steadily hiking towards the city before him.

Off in the forested mountains near Angel Grove, the fierce white ATAC known as Ultragunner sat in seclusion from society. At the foot of the big mech, Bastion and Puck began to walk away. Chatting with Puck as the 2 teens hiked, Bastion thought out loud, "I have no idea how we got here, but we need to see about food and find civilization."

"I'm stumped too, Bastion. Hope wherever this is the inhabitants are good to us." Puck contributed.

"Sorry about the hike, Puck, but until we know more, we better keep Ultragunner hidden."

"Yeah," Puck agreed. "People'd probly freak if they saw something that big they weren't used to."

Enduring the hot July sun as best they could, they continued towards Angel Grove.

Faulkner walked into the bustling city. He toured several contiguous city blocks, thinking and observing every step of the way. Curious about a fine-smelling coffee shop he passed by, he walked inside. The pleasant smells of many different beans and brews pervaded the lukewarm air. Near the entrance, several wooden tables with matching chairs hosted many different inhabitants engaging in activities including conversing, operating mobile computers, sipping drinks, and eating lunches and pastries. He sauntered over to a lounge area further inside the café, hosting several red and green cushioned chairs all facing a large screen. Faulkner flopped into a red chair close to the screen and focused on the news program it was showing.

"After a dangerous shootout, the Houston SWAT team successfully apprehended the suspects believed to be responsible for several recent truck robberies," spoke an attractive female reporter on the TV. She continued, "Here with is Sergeant Dan Wine. Sergeant, how did you guys bring an end to this standoff?"

"The suspects had sniper rifles with some nasty piercing, so we had to keep cover. We broke out the smoke grenades to cloud their aim and stormed into the warehouse with riot gear. Once we were in close quarters, all it took was a little karate and judo," Sergeant Wine answered.

Faulkner started to think, "So, far, nothing here that can resist Zulwarn." He turned his attention to the counter and watched as a few customers bought items, usually trading paper bills for their purchases. Faulkner looked into his own coat pockets, seeing the shining gold coins inside. He stood up from the red chair and hastily walked out of the café. He quickly scanned the surrounding businesses until he saw a large yellow sign saying "Cash For Gold", which prompted him to purposefully travel to the tiny store and dart inside.

Bastion and Puck curiously walked into the Angel Grove Youth Center. Puck looked up and said, "Looks like we can get food and information here," He then asked, "So who should we ask for help?"

Bastion answered, "Let's try the man behind the counter. He probably runs the place."

Ernie made immediate eye contact with Bastion and asked "Hi. This is your first time here, right?"

Mildly surprised, Bastion confirmed, "Yes. How did you know?"

Ernie told him, "I know my regulars," Extending his right hand he greeted, "I'm Ernie."

Shaking Ernie's hand firmly he responded in kind, "I'm Bastion, and this is my friend Puck. Nice to meet you." Puck shook Ernie's hand shortly after. Bastion asked, "Do you serve food here?"

Ernie answered, "'Course we do. I'll get ya menus."

Ernie returned and passed 2 multi-page, laminated menus to Bastion and Puck. As Bastion read the menu, he noticed the prices involved decimal quantities. Puzzled for several seconds, Bastion looked to Puck and asked, "Do you think we'll be able to pay for food?"

Puck confirmed, "I know what you mean. I guess they don't trade with gold like in Eptina."

Bastion suggested, "Let me try something." "Excuse me, Ernie?" he projected in Ernie's direction.

Ernie responded, "What's up, Bastion?"

"For our meal, could we trade some of this to you?" Bastion told him, showing a fistful of gold coins.

Ernie started in amazement at the gold and hurriedly asked "Where did you get that?"

Bastion had to think before answering. "It's hard to explain." He told Ernie. "But I promise I didn't steal it!"

Collecting himself, Ernie took one of the shining coins, bit it gently, and placed it back. He finally answered, "Tell you what: I'll buy some of your gold, and then you'll have cash for your food. And a lot of other things for that matter! But you should be careful carrying that stuff around."

"Thanks for everything, Ernie!" Puck offered.

Ernie smiled back. Looking up, Ernie waved. Bastion intuitively knew that Ernie just saw familiar friends. Looking over in the same direction, Bastion saw an Asian girl wearing a yellow skirt, and an ebony-skinned young man wearing black jeans and a 3-colored shirt both returning Ernie's wave. As they approached the counter, Ernie greeted them, "Trini! Zack! Can I get ya something?"

"Milk, please." Trini requested.

"I'll get a citrus combo." Zack answered.

"No problem, guys."Ernie told them. Gesturing toward Bastion and Puck, Ernie advised, "Oh, say hi to Bastion and Puck here. It's first time in Angel Grove."

Zack and Trini sat down at Bastion's table. Zack greeted, "Hey guys, I'm Zack."

Bastion shook hands with Zack and told him "It's nice to meet you."

"How do you like Angel Grove?" Trini asked.

Puck told her, "It's amazing. Like nowhere I've ever been before."

Zack asked, "Hey, are you guys gonna be around here tomorrow?"

Bastion told him, "I think so. Why do you ask?"

Zack handed Bastion a small sheet of pink paper. Bastion read the advertisement on the paper. In bold calligraphy, it read "Past, Present, and Future: A celebration of arts and cultures from around the world!"

Zack told him, "It's gonna be a blast! Hope to see you there!"

"I'll have a booth there with some of the amazing bottle ships my uncle built." Trini added.

Puck 's eyes lit up in excitement. "Oh, will he be there too? I love building things, and talking to people about it too!"

"He will," Trini told him.

Faulkner sat alone inside a luxurious restaurant. He sat at a black wooden table lined with a white cloth. His chair was made of matching black hardwood with a light tan cushion. Brightly shining forks, spoons and knives flanked his placemat. A waiter wearing a sharp-looking black and white uniform stepped over to Faulkner's table carrying a plate with a metal lid placed upon it. He placed the plate at Faulkner's place setting and removed the lid, revealing several slices of cast-iron roasted duck breast atop a bed of stock, laced with a variety of herbs and vegetables, flanked by a few small roasted potatoes dusted with rosemary. Cutting a piece of the duck and tasting it, Faulkner displayed a blissful expression. Savoring the rest of his dish, he started thinking, "I'll have to make sure the chefs here aren't involved in any collateral damage."

Bastion and Puck retraced the hike they made earlier back through the Angel Grove mountains towards where they left the Ultragunner earlier that day. After finally reaching the Ultragunner, they stepped inside the superstructure through an opening in the foot and rode a lift to the cockpit area. A door in the back of the cockpit led to a small dormitory with 4 full-size beds and an attached bathroom. After taking turns using the bathroom, Bastion and Puck bade each other "Good night" and laid down to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Zack and Tommy walked into a tent lined with numerous Renaissance Faire costumes hanging from standing racks. Upon seeing her, Tommy shouted, "Kim! Hey!"

"Tommy!" she gleefully greeted as she and Tommy hugged each other and traded peck kisses. Kimberly was wearing a pink and white gown with long sleeves, fluffy underskirts, and shiny decorative trim. After greeting Tommy, she gave Zack a hug, and told them, "I'm having a great time at this festival!"

"You look beautiful," Tommy opined.

Weakly faking an aristocratic tone, Zack stated, "It's tastefully elegant." The three of them laughed lightly. "So tell us about the dress." He asked Kimberly.

"It's a style from 15th century France, usually worn by women of nobility at balls, weddings, or coronations." She told them.

"I see," Tommy said to affirm his attention.

Seeing a pair of familiar looking ruffians pass by the tent, Zack informed his friends, "Uh oh, here comes trouble. I bet they're headed for Ernie's grill."

"Oh this I gotta see," Tommy declared.

Bulk and Skull approached the long, sturdy table that Ernie was working behind. Near the center of the table, a heavy black pot of chili and several loaves of various breads could be seen. Beside the chili pot, a small red sign with black writing stated, "Survive Ernie's Atomic Chili, Win a PrizePack!"

Bulk asked Ernie, "So how do we win this little contest?"

Ernie instructed Bulk, "It costs $5 to try. You have 100 seconds to finish a cup of the chili plus 1 slice of bread. If you eat them before time runs out, you get a trophy, 2 free meals at the Youth Center, and 2 tickets to any concert or sporting event at the Staples Center."

"Ha! That's easy! Sign me up!" Bulk said reaching for his wallet.

While Bulk was struggling to unearth his cash, Skull lightly dipped a slice of sourdough bread into the chili and tasted it. Shocked at how spicy it was even in a small dose, Skull shouted "Yeow! That's some hot soup! Be careful Bulky!"

"You're just weak Skully! Let me show you how a man eats!" Bulk boasted, finally producing a 5-dollar bill for Ernie.

Ernie picked up a microphone connected to a speaker box and projected, "Folks, we have a challenger!" He proceeded to scoop enough chili from the cauldron to fill the cup and place the full cup onto a plate along with a slice of bread before an eager Bulk.

Curious attendees stopped to observe the contest at hand. Within the small but dense audience were Tommy, Zack, and Kimberly. Ernie informed Bulk, "100 Seconds on the clock." He then instructed, "Ready? Begin!"

Bulk dunked his bread into the chili and ate half of the bread slice. He then grabbed the cup and took a hefty swig of the shockingly spicy chili. Moments later, Bulk screamed in pain and running around crazily looking for water. When none was in his immediate range, he ran towards an artificial spring-fountain on display, dove into it, and drank the water inside. After a few flustered coughs, he started breathing heavy, then relaxed his heavy body over the barrier between the fountain and the aisle.

The audience laughed at Bulk's loud display of tomfoolery until he coughed, at which point, they fell silent. When Bulk was breathing again, they breathed sighs of relief and continued about their days.

Following the directions on the pink flyer they received from Zack, Bastion and Puck headed to and arrived at the Angel Grove fairgrounds. They paid an admission at the entrance and excitedly strutted into the festival. Numerous remarkable sights filled their eyes while the smells of wondrous foods filled their heads. Many people, dressed in a vast array of styles, were walking around, chatting, and exploring the exhibits seen in the many aisles of the festival. Recovering from the overwhelming atmosphere, Bastion asked Puck, "What do you think you'll do first?"

Puck told him, "I think Trini said she and her uncle would be in the arts area. I want to go find them!"

Bastion replied, "OK. I'm going to check out the sports section. Maybe my combat training will help me win a prize."

Puck confirmed, "Great!" Pointing to a path on the maps they received at the admissions booth, Puck suggested, "We'll meet each other along this path later then!"

"Sure," Bastion confirmed. "Have fun, Puck!"

Bastion looked out onto an open field where several soft, fuzzy, plush balls were laid out symmetrically on opposite sides of a white line. He arrived just in time to see a muscular young man wearing a red shirt and displaying a whistle hanging from his neck, ask several children and one young adult nearby, "So, who wants to play?"

Approaching the players, Bastion asked Jason, "Can I try too?"

Jason told him, "Sure bro. This way we'll have one grown up on each side. Join the team on the left."

Bastion stepped out onto the field, greeting the young children as he toured the field and soft, fuzzy toy balls. Without the aid of any devices, Jason loudly projected, "Rules are simple: Throw the balls to the other team's side. No crossing the dividing line. Team with the fewest balls on their side after the 2 minutes are up wins!" Jason readied his whistle, warned the players, "Ready?", and blew the whistle loudly. Instantly, the fuzzy balls began to fly in a hectic crossfire.

The proverbial gears in Faulkner's brain began to turn, and malicious ideas took shape. "Does this country have any significant defenses? Nothing I have observed could stand up my almighty ATAC. I may be a long way from Eptina, but perhaps this nation can be made to serve me instead." Faulkner returned to the helm of the Zulwarn and began to march it towards the city.

Puck happily sauntered over to an exhibit where Trini immediately greeted him. After returning Trini's greeting, he turned his attention to the ships and intently stared at each of the bottled ships one at a time. Uncle Howard stood up from his cluttered workbench and made eye contact with Puck. "Are you interested in the ships, son?" he asked.

"You bet I am!" Puck answered.

"Come over here and I will show you how I build them." Uncle Howard offered.

Puck followed Uncle Howard for a few steps and saw a half-built ship in a clear glass bottle in the center of the workbench. Surrounding the bottle were several long-handled building tools. Uncle Howard sat in his simple chair, took one of the tools in his hand and attached a sheet of thin wood to the unfinished main deck of the ship inside. Puck stared in fascination. Then, Puck reacted in exceptional surprise as Uncle Howard asked, "Would you like to try attaching a floor board?"

"Oh, can I?" Puck checked.

Uncle Howard rose from the chair and handed his tool to Puck. Trini and Billy stepped inside the small exhibit structure to observe Puck's attempt. Slowly and cautiously, Puck gripped the tools and moved a floor board from the base of the bottle towards the main deck of the little ship. He stared hard as a few sweat drops fell off his forehead. Several times he moved the board close to its intended location but missed the spot and was unable to attach it. Finally, after many close attempts, he pushed the board into its spot just hard enough to attach it. "Very good, son!" praised Uncle Howard as Billy, Trini, and several other onlookers gently applauded.

Sighing in relief, Puck stated, "That was amazing, but I'll think I'll stick to my regular hammer and wrench!"

"It is a difficult specialty to acquire," Billy added.

Feeling energized after playing with the children, Bastion took a short walk over to another station featuring a wide, 4-foot deep pool of water, and 2 platforms near the center of the pool, fairly close to each other and a third platform several feet away from the other 2. Retractable bridges allowed participants to reach the platforms without stepping in water. Jousters wielding 2-sided glaives with soft, inflatable heads were seen feverishly dueling until one of them fell off his or her platform and into the water. Matches were conducted in a best 2 out of 3 format. Excited to show off the skills he developed operating ATACs, Bastion eagerly lined up to participate. He inquired, "Any veteran duelists here?"

Another strong, athletic looking young man, this one wearing a green sleeveless shirt, answered Bastion's challenge. "I don't like to brag, but I've practiced a lot of karate and fencing," Tommy told Bastion.

"All right, bro. You're on!" Bastion accepted.


	5. Chapter 5

On the beach outside Angel Grove city, the broad-shouldered, midnight blue ATAC known as the Zulwarn emitted a wave of green energy that stunned several dozen people who had been attempting to flee from the threatened area. Those not stunned by the wave continued their panic and escape, gasping and/or screaming at the sight of the frightening large mech. Faulkner turned his attention to those unlucky enough to be stunned by the Zulwarn's Turbulence attack. He grabbed as many at one time as would fit in Zulwarn's gigantic hands and placed them into a newly opened round pipe that appeared just above the face on Zulwarn's chest. Muffled, futile screams of pain could be heard from Faulkner's control center as the innocent lives were mutilated into blood-fuel for the evil ATAC.

Sirens blared and red lights flashed inside the Command Center of the Power Rangers. A shocked Alpha-5 shouted out "Ayayay! Zordon, we have to stop that thing!"

"I know, Alpha." Zordon bellowed. "Contact the power rangers immediately!"

Alpha pressed a button on the round, yellow console.

"Blue team wins!" Jason declared after counting the fuzzy balls on the field. An all-too familiar 6-note tune beeped from Jason's communicator, prompting him to briskly walk off the green grassy playing field and find an out-of-the-way spot. He pressed a tiny button on the device and vanished in a pillar of red light adorned with white energy bolts.

Billy and Trini had barely finished congratulating Puck when their wrist communicators harmoniously beeped. "We'll be back later, Uncle Howard!" Trini shouted as she and Billy left the hut. Finding a hidden area behind several other exhibits, they disappeared from the scene in blue and yellow pillars of light.

In her dressing room, eyeballing another lovely European gown, Kimberly heard her communicator go off. She reached for the buttons on the centerpiece and teleported away in a pillar of pink light.

Zach was observing a team of Hawaiian dancers when his communicator interrupted the music. "Excuse me," he said to his neighbors as he left the stage area, finding an area behind another stage where no one was looking, Zach activated his teleporter, and, surrounded by a cylinder of black light, faded from sight.

The 5 power rangers, surrounded by their colorful lights, materialized inside the Command Center. They turned to face Zordon in his light tube, as Jason asked, "Zordon, what's going on?"

As his slightly distorted voice surrounded the rangers, Zordon spoke, "Rangers: a hostile zord we have never seen before has started a rampage. Behold the viewing globe!" The rangers gazed into their spherical screen, witnessing the events from moments earlier involving the Zulwarn at the edge of the city. Zach looked wide eyed, fright apparent on his face. Kimberly's eyes and mouth shot open; she quickly covered her mouth with her hand. Trini gently touched her hand to her own face. After a moment's silence, Jason was the first to speak,

"Holy crap that's terrible!" He reacted.

"We gotta stop that thing!" Trini necessitated.

"Is this Rita's doing?" Billy inquired, still shaken up from the footage.

"No, Billy." Zordon told him. "This is a new threat that we do not yet fully understand, so I urge you not to underestimate the danger it presents."

Collecting her bearings, Kimberly asked Zordon, "Zordon, where's Tommy?"

Motioning towards the viewing globe, Zordon told her, "Tommy is not answering his communicator. I have located him on the fairgrounds by the jousting game."

"He must have taken his communicator off so it wouldn't get wet." Billy ascertained.

"Should we go get him?" Trini asked.

"No, Trini," Zordon commanded. "We will contact Tommy when he retrieves his belongings. Against this unknown threat, the element of surprise may be the advantage we need. Go now, and let the power protect you."

"It's morphin' time!" Jason declared. The 5 teens reached for their morphers, held them aloft, and shouted their familiars in turn.

"Mastodon!"

"Pterodactyl!"

"Triceratops!"

"Saber-toothed Tiger!"

"Tyrannosaurus!"

With a flash of lights, the rangers' power suits materialized and the rangers themselves rocketed in colorful beams of light out of the command center, passing through the ceiling and roof like ghosts, flew across the sky and sharply back to the ground, and reincorporated in the area where the edge of the city met the beach. Zulwarn, in its frightening glory, stood 200 feet from the rangers' landing point, looking toward the city. Taking charge, Jason proudly spoke, "Let's get to work. Tyrannosaurus power!" Over by its hiding place, the towering Tyrannosaurus dinozord roared loudly as it rose to its feet and marched to Jason's side.

"All right! I call on the Mastodon!" Zach followed. In response to Zach's call, the bulky black mastodon charged out of hiding, bellowing an elephant-like call in the process.

"I need the Pterodactyl!" Kimberly shouted. Her nimble pink Pterodactyl zord flew out of its volcano with a strange cry and sped towards the skies near Angel Grove beach.

"Triceratops, activate!" Billy ordered. The stout blue triceratops rolled across nearby desert sands and found its way to the beach, giving a short grunt as it rolled out.

"I call for the Saber-toothed Tiger!" Trini summoned. The agile yellow Saber-toothed tiger dinozord gave a growling roar as it jumped out of the trees and into the battlefield.

Tommy and Bastion stood on opposing podiums up above the pool of clear water, which looked blue due to the sky blue floor. They were each armed with a padded staff sporting 2 padded heads on opposite ends. A referee wearing vertical black and white stripes stood upon another podium between Tommy and Bastion, located a safe distance back from the contenders. The referee informed Tommy and Bastion, "Each round will begin on the sound of my whistle and end when a jouster falls off his platform. When you win a round, stay put until I signal a new round. First jouster to win 2 rounds wins the match. We understand the rules?" The two teens nodded in agreement. The referee then loudly projected, "Are both contenders ready?"

"Yep!" Tommy said, eyes focused on Bastion, hands gripping his staff tightly.

"Yes!" Bastion replied, staring Tommy straight in the eye.

In a loud booming voice, the referee counted, "3, 2, 1" then blew the high pitched whistle. Instantly, Tommy and Bastion started skillfully clashing staves. Their padded weapons bounced off one another repeatedly as each jouster tried to unbalance the other. Tommy attempted a forward thrust which Bastion deflected while spinning his staff around towards Tommy's side. Tommy quickly moved back to avoid the side swipe, but then Bastion followed through a few more inches, stopped, and made a thrusting strike square into Tommy's chest, causing him to fall back beyond the edge of his pillar and fall down into the pool of refreshing water.

Impressed with Bastion's dueling skills, Tommy smiled with anticipation of a real challenge as he made his way through the water back to his pillar and climbed back onto the platform. The referee handed Tommy another staff, which he took in his hand before setting into a battle stance. The referee once again loudly asked, "Are both contenders ready?" Bastion and Tommy both affirmed, prompting the referee to make his count, "3, 2, 1," and blast his whistle. Once again, with lightning reflexes the teenage battlers reacted and clashed. The two experts swung their padded glaives masterfully seeking the upper hand in the contest. Bastion landed a strike into the right side of Tommy's torso, looking to follow up, Bastion spun the staff towards the same spot, but Tommy deflected the blow with a gentle but firm parry. Tommy faked a swing to Bastion's right side, prompting Bastion to motion to his right to block, at which point Tommy swung hard, landing a solid strike into Bastion's left hip. Bastion's foot slid, giving way to his knee, then his stomach as he slid off the pillar and made a wet splash into the pool.

Bastion collected his bearings, smiled sportingly up at Tommy and said to him, "You're pretty good at this."

With a loud "Hya!" each ranger leapt to a Zord and took the controls. Upon boarding the tyrannosaurus, Jason instructed, "Rangers, log on!"

"Zach here, ready to roll!"

"Billy here, all systems go!"

"Trini! I'm with ya!"

"Kimberly, flying high!"

Jason commanded, "Rangers, attack pattern Zeta!"

"Right!" The team confirmed.

The red tyrannosaurus charged toward the Zulwarn, who stood head and shoulders above. Triceratops and Mastodon moved in wide arcs around the Zulwarn then turned back towards it after reaching the area behind Zulwarn's field of vision. Pterodactyl flew in an arc opposite that of the Triceratops, and Saber-Tooth Tiger moved behind Tyrannosaurus. Upon getting closer to the Zulwarn, Tyrannosaurus spun around and raised its hard tail into Zulwarn's upper face. The impact mildly shook the big black mech. Inside Zulwarn, Faulkner saw the Tyrannosaurus on the display, and muttered to himself, "So there ARE ATACs here. A small hurdle." Zulwarn cross-punched Tyrannosaurus's large head causing it to backpedal, then drew its halberd, the SoulStab, and chopped into Tyrannosaurus's left shoulder. The impact startled Jason fiercely. Mastodon profusely sprayed cold mist into Zulwarn's left foot. Faulkner willed his ATAC to advance upon Tyrannosaurus, but his motion suddenly stopped when his left foot would not lift up due to the ice surrounding it. The unexpected stop caused Zulwarn's right leg to lift up awkwardly and come down weakly. Before Faulkner could plant Zulwarn's foot properly, Triceratops charged into the back of the ankle, unbalancing the Zulwarn. Tyrannosaurus rested its tail on the ground. Saber-Tooth Tiger ran up the Tyrannosaurus's tail, nimbly leapt onto the head, and vaulted off the head squarely into Zulwarn's chest. Simultaneously, Pterodactyl blasted pale blue bolts of electricity into Zulwarn's shoulders, timing her shot perfectly with Trini's pounce. Zulwarn fell onto its back, the Saber-Tooth Tiger still menacingly clawing its chest. The ice around Zulwarn's left foot shattered as the giant mech fell down. "Uff!" Faulkner grunted in reaction to the impact.

"Nice teamwork, guys!" Zach enthusiastically praised.

"Gah! This'll show you!" Faulkner growled. Zulwarn squeezed the Saber-Tooth Tiger with its left arm, sat up, planted its right hand on the ground, followed by its left foot, and finally its right knee. Zulwarn stood up from the kneel, still clutching the Saber-Tooth Tiger to its chest, then took the Tiger in both hands. Spotting the Triceratops rolling away, Zulwarn hurled Saber Tooth Tiger as hard as it could towards Triceratops.

"Waa!" Trini screamed as her zord flew towards the other.

Saber Tooth Tiger crashed hard into Triceratops. Billy and Trini reacted with a sharp cry of "Ah!" when the zords collided. Saber Tooth Tiger rolled off Triceratops, which barely managed to keep its balance after the hard hit. By this time, Mastodon safely made it way to Tyrannosaurus's right flank.

Jason strategized, "That was a good tackle, but our separate zords don't have the armor to keep taking hits like these." Regaining his aura of command, Jason told the rangers, "Power up your crystals!" as he placed his glowing red power crystal into the slot on the console.

The other 4 rangers affirmed in unison, "2, 1, Powered up!", driving their power crystals into place.

"Move!" Jason ordered. The 5 zords marched into a wide formation. Triceratops and Saber Tooth Tiger took low riding still positions and folded their tails to reveal connectors. Tyrannosaurus bent its knees and compressed its legs tightly before connecting its feet to the Triceratops and Saber Tooth Tiger. Mastodon's head separated from its body, which spread open to reveal 2 long cannons. The 2 pieces of the Mastodon surrounded the Tyrannosaurus' chest and back as they hovered into their proper places. Finally, Pterodactyl attached itself to the back of Tyrannosaurus's head. United in the Megazord bridge, the power rangers exchanged nods and thumbs-up gestures. Proceeding with his plan, Jason said, "Let's get some Megazord power!"

A robotic voice narrated, "Megazord sequence has been initiated!" as the cannons rotated inward and big strong hands unsheathed in their places. Pterodactyl flew off the formation while the tank itself rose up and planted the Saber Tooth Tiger and Triceratops, now functioning as legs and feet for the bipedal construct, firmly on the ground. As the Pterodactyl flew back towards the mech, the Mastodon head de-materialized, the Tyrannosaurus's chest opened slightly allowing its head to fold down into the chest compartment, revealing a new head that was previously hidden under the big Tyrannosaurus skull. Pterodactyl attached to the zord composite covering its entire chest and abdomen. Finally, a spiked helmet enclosed the head from the sides. Megazord's 2 stern looking yellow eyes flashed brightly as the voice confirmed, "Megazord activated!" Megazord struck a pose reminiscent of a Kenpo guard stance.

Faulkner studied his new opponent curiously. Excited for battle, Faulkner said to himself, "Ah, a *real* ATAC!"

Megazord closed in on Zulwarn, who greeted it by throwing a hook punch. Megazord blocked the blow with its left hand and countered with a reverse punch to Zulwarn's face. Sparks flew as Zulwarn reacted to the strike. Quickly recovering, Zulwarn threw a front kick into Megazord's abdomen, and as Megazord leaned slightly forward upon the impact, Zulwarn followed up with an uppercut punch to the head. Megazord sparked and staggered back. Inside, the Rangers reeled as the bridge shook. Megazord regained its composure, moving its hands back to ready positions. The 2 strong mechs clashed again, trading several blocked punches and kicks until Zulwarn landed a knee into Megazord's midsection. In a surge of energy, Megazord retorted with a backfist to Zulwarn's lower face. Minimally rattled, Zulwarn charged at Megazord and gave a hard shoulder tackle, causing Megazord to stagger backwards. Zulwarn turned leftward so its right flank faced the Megazord. Pointing a hand at the Megazord, Zulwarn fired a spike from its tremendously broad shoulders at the Megazord. Inside the Megazord bridge, Trini shouted "Watch out!" as the spike hit the rangers' zord just inside its left shoulder. Zulwarn fired another spike at the opposite shoulder, but this time, a rainbow energy blast erupted from a spike atop Megazord's helmet and destroyed the spike. Megazord turned its blaster toward Zulwarn and fired another, stronger beam at the scary black ATAC.

"Uh!" Faulker reacted to the blast. "Let's see how you handle this!" he threatened. Zulwarn drew Soulstab, its infamous halberd, and pointed it towards Megazord. Soulstab glowed with an odd black light just before a set of 7 rays of black laser light shaped in a ring blasted towards the colorful opposing mech, forming a cone of intense energy in the process. More explosions of damage sparked upon the impact, which sent Megazord reeling backwards. Zulwarn threateningly closed in Megazord.

"Wooooaa!" the rangers reacted in a staggered fashion.

Determined to stay in the fight, Jason declared, "We need the Power Sword!" Responding to his call, the gigantic bright metal broadsword separated the clouds and gently floated down from the bright skies and made its way to the Megazord's waiting right hand. Zulwarn was swinging its halberd towards Megazord's left shoulder as Megazord gripped its shining sword; Megazord had barely enough time to block the strike with the Power Sword. Using the force from the deflection, Megazord slashed at Zulwarn's chest, sending sparks as the Power Sword connected. Megazord slashed downward to continue its combination, but Zulwarn greeted the blow with a horizontal block and a front kick to the chest. Zulwarn then sidestepped left while pulling Soulstab back to its holster, causing Megazord to lean forward from the weight of its downward strike. Zulwarn wrapped its arms around Megazord's pinkish red midsection, hoisted the great mech up over its head and forcefully power-bombed Megazord onto the solid ground.

The hard slam rattled all 5 power rangers in the Megazord's bridge and prompted each to express a concern.

"Structural integrity is compromised," Billy informed

"We can't beat this guy!" Zach worried.

"Jason, that zord is a lot stronger than ours!" Trini assessed.


	6. Chapter 6

"3, 2, 1," the referee counted before blaring his whistle. Reacting, Tommy and Bastion furiously traded strikes, blocks, and combinations. After about 20 seconds of attempts, Tommy swung his padded staff around to the left side of Bastion's head while Bastion closed in a striking Tommy's left foot. The 2 attacks landed on their intended targets simultaneously. Bastion leaned right in reaction to the strike, lost his balance, and fell off the side of his platform. At the exact same time, Tommy lost his footing, fell on his butt, and slid off the platform. 2 large splashes erupted from the soothing pool. Up on his lookout, the referee blew the whistle again, and bellowed, "Final score is 1-1-1 for Bastion, 1-1-1 for Tommy. Match ends in a draw!" The 2 gentlemen climbed out of the pool, greeted by the cheers and applause of several admiring viewers. A stunt spotter handed white towels to Tommy and Bastion upon their exit from the pool. After claiming his towel, Tommy extended his right hand to Bastion, who graciously shook it.

"That was fun, man. I'd love to train with ya sometime!" Tommy told Bastion.

"Sure. Will you be at the youth center later?" Bastion asked.

"Yeah, I should be," Tommy answered.

"Great. Well, I better check on Puck. Have a good one Tommy!" Bastion departed.

"Yeah, see ya," Tommy returned.

Drying himself off, Tommy walked over to his gym bag hoping to retrieve some dry clothes. He carried the green bag over to the nearby locker rooms and placed it on a flat, wood-finished bench inside. As he started searching for a dry shirt, he heard 6 distinct beeps. His expression became very stern as he retrieved his communicator from the pack and stepped around to an empty part of the locker room. Pressing the top-left button on the round body of the device, Tommy inquired, "Zordon, what's going on?"

His voice quietly emitting from the communicator, Zordon reported, "An unidentified zord is overwhelming the rangers. They need your help, Tommy!"

"I'm on it!" Tommy obediently replied. Switching off the green watch-like device, Tommy confidently declared, "It's morphin' time!", and reached for his power morpher.

"Dragonzord!" Tommy shouted, thrusting his power morpher forward.

In a pillar of lime green light, Tommy materialized atop a tall office building near the edge of the city. From this vantage point, Tommy could see the Zulwarn in a menacing stance above the Megazord, which lay flat on its back. Pumping himself up, Tommy boldly stated, "Bout time you tasted some Dragonzord power!" while brandishing the Dragon Dagger. He raised the bladed flute to his face and played the 6-bote summoning song.

The waters of the Angel Grove harbor splashed violently as the Dragonzord rose from the depths. After its feet emerged from the Pacific Ocean, Dragonzord took 2 slow steps, stopped, and stretched its jointed arms while projecting a Godzilla-like wail. After collecting its bearings, Dragonzord marched hastily over to the edge of the city, Zulwarn in its sights. "Dragonzord, fire!" the green ranger commanded before playing the Dragonzord march song. Missiles extended from Dragonzord's fingers one at a time in a rapid sequence. Then, the missiles blazed across the battlefield and slammed explosively into Zulwarn.

Recovering from the blast, Zulwarn looked over at Dragonzord and drew the Soulstab. From within the Zulwarn, Faulkner studied the Dragonzord and monologued, "So you bring more ATACs before me? This will be a smashing pleasure!"

Dragonzord mutually approached Zulwarn preparing to engage in battle. Meanwhile, no longer under Zulwarn's humongous boot, Megazord began to move.

"Rangers, give it all the power we got. We have to get back in this!" Jason decreed.

"We're getting up, Jason!" Kimberly informed as the Megazord climbed to its feet again.

Zulwarn swung the Soulstab at Dragonzord. Moments before the twisted halberd could land in its shoulder, 3 long claw-blades extended from Dragonzord's right wrist and stopped the strike with a loud clang. Another set of claws protruded from Dragonzord's left wrist as Dragonzord slashed Zulwarn diagonally from its left shoulder to its right hip. Tommy spoke into his communicator, "Thanks for the upgrade, Billy!" [1]

From the helm of the Megazord, Billy responded, "No problem, Tommy. You were right about Dragonzord needing a melee weapon."

Irritated from the hit he just took, Faulkner willed the Zulwarn to charge at Dragonzord with the Soulstab held diagonally. Dragonzord braced for the charge, putting the 2 mechs into an awkward grapple. With a hard push, Zulwarn unbalanced Dragonzord and quickly slashed it in the left knee with the axe edge of the Soulstab, causing it to drop on said knee. Megazord, now within striking distance of Zulwarn, slashed at the evil mech. Reacting quickly, Zulwarn deflected the power sword, pulled the soulstab back in cutting off its own motion, then jabbed at Megazord's face, triggering a wave of sparks to fly out of the Megazord.

The startled rangers screamed in surprise. While they reeled from the attack, Faulkner turned the Zulwarn towards the building Tommy stood upon and pointed Soulstab slightly upwards. Seeing this pose, Kimberly shouted, "Tommy, look out!"

A familiar looking corona of black lasers sharply projected out of Soulstab. The green ranger leapt off the building he had been standing on and onto a neighboring structure, narrowly avoiding the deadly blasts. "Oh man, that was close," Tommy opined.

"Tommy, get in the Dragonzord before he tries that again!" Jason commanded.

"Sure thing, Jase!" Tommy obliged, followed by a fantastic leap to the top of the Dragonzord. Opening a hidden panel, Tommy descended into the Dragonzord's cockpit. The Dragonzord rose back to a proper stance as the Megazord walked over to it. The 2 mighty mechs looked to each other, traded nods, then both looked over at the Zulwarn, bracing for combat.

"Team tactics, guys! Tommy, take him from the right side while we engage him head on!" Jason strategized.

"On it, buddy!" Tommy agreed.

Bastion walked casually in the direction of Uncle Howard's exhibit. Nearly there, he noticed several people gathered at a neighboring booth, staring worriedly at a small, portable television. Becoming curious, he asked a young couple, "What's happening here?"

"A big black robot attacked the cityside beach," Elliott told him.

"The power rangers are fighting it right now, but it's not looking so great," Jane added.

Bastion muttered quietly, "big black robot?" He gently snuck through a few people in the crowd, seeking a closer look at the screen. Finally, achieving a glance, his expression changed suddenly to reflect a familiar feeling of fright as he saw Zulwarn in heated combat with Megazord and Dragonzord. Pushing his way back out, he sped his way to Uncle Howard's station. Hurrying, he pulled Bastion aside from Uncle Howard, interrupting their conversation. "Sorry sir, but I need my friend now," Bastion apologized. Urgency in voice, Bastion told his diminutive friend, "Faulkner's here!"

Surprised at the news, Puck reacted, "Faulkner? Seriously?"

"Yes, I saw it right here" Bastion verified, taking Puck over the crowded booth and hoisting Puck on his shoulders to show him the screen. Puck glared in horror at the battle broadcasting on the news.

Dragonzord moved to the side while Zulwarn charged the Megazord and bashed it in the chest with the blunt end of the Soulstab. Zulwarn then started to swing the Soulstab upward so that the axe blade was descending upon Megazord. This prompted Billy to shout, "Trap his weapon, guys!"

Megazord blocked upward to catch the Soulstab with the Power Sword, then, using a controlling parry, pushed the Soulstab downward, causing Zulwarn's arms to drop. Dragonzord's tail drill started to spin as Dragonzord moved the tail into the Zulwarn's unguarded head and forced the spinning tail into Zulwarn's face. A popping explosion from Zulwarn's head caused the zords to separate.

The power rangers cheered and smiled as a boost of confidence hit them all from within. Seeing the edge they had acquired against Zulwarn, Jason began to proudly issue an order, but unbeknownst to him, an angry General Faulkner had plans of his own from beyond the smoke between the power rangers and the Zulwarn.

"You children have annoyed me long enough," Faulkner growled.

"All right!" Jason confidently started.

"Time to witness…"

"Let's…"

"…the true power of Zulwarn!"

"…finish him!"

Faulkner tensed up as eerie, piercing black waves of energy pulsated from the Zulwarn.

"I call upo..aaarrggg!" Jason shouted in pain as the dark energy interrupted his summon. The other rangers, including Tommy in the Dragonzord's bridge, screamed in shocked pain as well. Megazord and Dragonzord each dropped on 1 knee as the dark energy clung to their frames and dragged them down like a heavy dose of gravity. Around the area, the sky darkened, resembling a starless night.

"What's going on here?" Zack asked in panicked confusion.

"That zord did something to us," Billy ascertained.

"How's the Megazord?" Jason asked

"Looking at a colorful display near her station, Kimberly told Jason, "We've dropped to half power!"

"It's some kind of miasma. It's weakened the zords." Trini informed her friends. "What about you, Tommy?" she asked.

Dragonzord weakly stretched its legs. Tommy concluded, "Mine too, Trini!" Turning his attention, he tried to encourage his mech. "C'mon pal, fight it!" Tommy then played the Dragonzord summon on the Dragon Dagger. Dragonzord slowly extended its arms and roared slightly.

"Get it together, rangers! This fight isn't over!" Jason warned. Megazord readied the Power Sword.

Running hard through the mountain pass, Bastion and Puck hurried their way through the same rocky trails they hiked upon first arriving in Angel Grove. Breathing hard, Bastion managed to speak, "Ultragunner's just…a little…further."

Zulwarn marched over to the Megazord meeting it with a hard single-handed swing of the Soulstab. Megazord narrowly parried the slash with the Power Sword, but immediately following the block, Zulwarn threw a left hook at Megazord's head, causing the right-side spike on Megazord's helmet to crumple and fall off. The spike hit the ground with a hard metal-on-earth sound.

"Ugghh!" the rangers reacted.

"If this goes on we'll get destroyed for sure," Jason determined. "Tommy, can you keep him busy?"

"Gotta try!" Tommy volunteered, and then played the Dragonzord charge on his dagger-flute.

Once again, missiles armed inside Dragonzord's fingers. One at a time, the missiles flew out of the finger cannons and detonated into Zulwarn. Struggling against the miasma, Dragonzord trudged over to Zulwarn with its claws drawn. Dragonzord slashed at Zulwarn, who met the attack with the Soulstab and delivered a hammering, back-leg roundhouse kick to Dragonzord's left shoulder. As Dragonzord staggered, Zulwarn chopped at Dragonzord's right shoulder with the Soulstab's axe end. The chop sliced right through, and the shoulder plate slid off its place and fell to the ground.

"This could be our chance, let's get him!" Jason shouted. Megazord flexed the power sword, causing a ring of rainbow lights to shine from the blade as eyes gave a quick yellow glow. Back inside the megazord's bridge, Jason led, "You're through!"

Zulwarn turned its attention to Megazord, gripping the Soulstab and firmly holding it at waist height.

"Hya!" all the rangers in the Megazord shouted while moving synchronously their right hands in a wide downward arc from ear to hip. The Megazord raised the Power Sword in its right hand high above its head. Pink energy gathered onto the enormous broadsword, but was considerably dim and thin compared to how it looked when Megazord usually performed the same attack. With a slow but hard downward swing, Megazord flung the bright pink energy wave at Zulwarn. Zulwarn met the pink arc with a countermanding black energy blast. As the opposing forces collided, all of the rays in the Soulstab's black, ring-shaped attack along with most of the Power Sword's pink arc dissipated, except for a thin, wispy remnant. That remnant pushed Zulwarn back by a modest step, leaving some burn marks but no structural damage.

"Damn! That should've destroyed him!" Zack cursed.

"Megazord's weakened state prevented the sword from reaching maximum power," Billy explained.

"It's worse," Kimberly added. "That attack took most of what we had left."

Tommy chimed in with, "He just needs a little more juice!" Tommy reached for the Dragon Dagger and played the song of the Dragonzord. Dragonzord slowly flexed its left arm, turned its palm outward, and clenched the fist. It then performed the same action with the right arm, only much faster. The claws from the Dragonzords 2 silver hands formed an X shape. The sharp claws emitted a neon green glow that slowly shined brighter until Dragonzord slashed its claws downward and outward, hurling a bright green X at the Zulwarn. Zulwarn channeled black energy through the Soulstab, raised it high, and fiercely chopped the green X in half. The 2 halves of the green X fell slightly from their flight path and separated in opposite directions. The 2 halves each hit one of Zulwarn's shoulders, causing some sparks to fly and chipping 2 of the metal feathers on Zulwarn's enormous shoulders.

Faulkner laughed quietly and declared "Even the strongest ATACs succumb to my darkness. Your resistance has come to end." Zulwarn casually strutted over to the exhausted Dragonzord, knelt down slightly, and effortlessly lifted the Dragonzord overhead. Zulwarn then slowly walked back over to the Megazord.

Trini warned, "Power's too low. We can't dodge this!"

Zulwarn heavily hurled Dragonzord into Megazord, sending both of them crashing down to the hard earth. The 6 rangers cringed in pain as their 2 mighty zords crashed together.

"This is bad, guys." Jason lamented.

"What's he doing?" asked Tommy inquired.

Zulwarn extended its outstretched right hand towards the fallen zords. A black symbol depicting a pentagram inside a thick ring appeared between Zulwarn and its prone opponents. The eerie symbol vertically rotated as it hovered at waist height relative to Zulwarn. Zulwarn then threw several black energy shurikens into a series of 5 slots on the outer ring of the symbol. Inside the cockpit, Faulkner shouted, "Heaven's Gate!" Finally, Zulwarn raised the Soulstab as high as it could, stepped forward, and lunged into a hard downward chop, which scattered the black icon in a multitude of directions. The pieces of the energy pentagram then reformed the symbol on the ground around the Megazord and Dragonzord, where the symbol contracted. After the Heaven's Gate symbol shrunk completely and disappeared, black energy violently exploded underneath the defeated zords, triggering numberous other explosions about the zords' frames. Pieces of metal zord parts flew chaotically about the field.

The power rangers in both zords screamed in painful fright. Outside, The yellow saber tooth tiger and Megazord's left arm suddenly vanished. At same moment, Dragonzord's right arm and left leg faded and disappeared, and less than a second later, the remaining limbs of the Dragonzord were gone. Next to dematerialize were its head, shoulders, and stomach, leaving only the chest piece with the round yellow plate and the links of its tail. The blue triceratops disappeared, followed by Megazord's right arm and back. The last pieces of the Dragonzord were soon gone, as was Megazord's midsection. As Megazord's head started to fade, Jason told the team, "Let's get out of here!" Accordingly, Jason, Zack, Kimberly, Trini, and Billy ran to the back of the Megazord bridge and jumped out onto the field, and Tommy leapt out of the Dragonzord, meeting the other power rangers as he landed. "Back to the command center!" Jason directed. The rangers pressed buttons on their communicators, transformed into colorful pillars of light energy, then reappeared where they stood as the loud thumps of Zulwarn's approaching steps boomed around them. "We can't teleport! What happened?" Jason inquired.

Billy answered, "The miasma is weakening our communicators! We need to get clear!" The adrenaline powered rangers sprinted hastily inland towards the city. Zulwarn continued in pursuit, firing a black ring of blasts at the rangers backs. With separate leaping somersaults, the rangers narrowly avoided the deadly attacks of the black ATAC. Finally, a city block showing visible, uncovered sunlight came into sight.

"Just a little further!" Zack shouted. The rangers nimbly jumped into the clearing together, and all pressed their teleport buttons in unison. This time, they successfully teleported.

[1] Non-canon


	7. Chapter 7

"Did the zords retreat successfully?" Billy asked.

"They did, Billy." Alpha answered.

The power rangers, now in civilian attire, watched the viewing globe as it portrayed a triumphant Zulwarn. "I can't believe this is happening," Jason reacted. "I should've known better than to risk it all with that attack."

Placing a hand on Jason's shoulder, Kimberly consoled, "You're a great leader, Jason. You kept us confident against a nasty enemy."

"You must not blame yourself for the loss, Jason," Zordon coached. "We were in over our heads. We must observe while the zords recover to see if new intelligence can be obtained."

"Ayayay!" Alpha shouted. "I do hope we can find some way of besting that zord."

Trini opined, "That miasma crippled our zords. It was like Cyclopsis all over again." [1]

"Man, that guy makes Cyclopsis look like a wind-up toy!" Zach fumed.

"His power was rather frightening," Billy agreed.

"Who IS he anyway?" Tommy voiced his frustrated curiousity.

"He could be extra-dimensional, given the spontaneity of his assault," Billy speculated.

"I should've gotten there sooner!" Tommy lamented. "Now he's free to kill again!"

"Tommy," Kimberly gently said, then slightly tearing up as she gave Tommy a hug.

Looking Tommy in the eye, Jason agreed "That's what pisses me off the most too."

A set of fast beeping sounds filled the command center, prompting Alpha-5 to check the computers and the rangers to turn their attention to him.

"Alpha, what is the radar reading?" Zordon inquired.

"There's a power source approaching the enemy right now!" Alpha answered, "It appears to be another zord! It should be visible momentarily!"

"Guys, look!" Tommy projected. On the viewing globe, the rangers, Alpha, and Zordon witnessed the entry of the glorious white ATAC Ultragunner. They stared in wide-eyed wonder at the amazing mech as they awaited its first action.

"Faulkner!" Bastion shouted as he directed the Ultragunner towards Zulwarn.

"Bastion?! No! You can't be here!" Faulkner spoke in shock.

"Well whatever brought me here must have brought both of us here," Bastion concluded. "Now park that ATAC and stand down!"

"Heh heh heh," Faulkner laughed. "This is the best thing that's ever happened to me. This world's only ATACs fell to my power. Soon, I will rule it all…"

"Are they..talking?" Kimberly wondered out loud.

"I will check, Kimberly," Alpha offered as he pressed a few button. A small screen showed an oscillating frequency reading. "Yes! They are exchanging communications signals!"

"Alpha, tap into their frequency," Zordon instructed.

From the control panel's speakers, the rangers heard Faulkner's voice continuing his sentence, "…and have more lands under my thumb that I could ever have had in Eptina."

"I will not stand for your tyranny, Faulkner! Not in Eptina nor here!" Bastion threatened.

"Come now, kid. You know your ATAC can't defeat me!" Faulkner boasted.

"Come on, give me a little credit. Besides, it looks like your last opponents roughed you up a bit. You're at less than full strength." Bastion resisted.

"I know that voice! It's Bastion!" Trini exclaimed

"The new guy?" Jason checked. "Where'd he get a zord?" he said in curiosity.

"I don't know, but if he can stop that evil zord, I'm glad he's got it," Zack opined.

"You and the Ultragunner will be made to serve me as emperor, Bastion! And you don't have a say in the matter!" Faulkner tyrannically dictated. He wrapped his hands around 2 rods on the control panel and grunted, "Ha!" Once again, piercing waves of dark energy emanated from the Zulwarn. The miasma gripped Ultragunner at its many joints. Inside, Bastion winced in pain. Flexing many of his finely shaped muscles, Bastion struggled to push the dark energy off. Faulkner taunted, "You can't resist me without your friends here!" Bastion started thinking about his friends from Eptina, such as Reyna, Andrew, and Sadira. Then he thought about Puck, who was still with him, monitoring the Ultragunner's systems. He finally thought about the new friends he had made in the last 2 days, including Trini, Zack, Billy, Jason, Kimberly, Tommy, and Ernie. He remembered that even though he was the new kid in town, they treated him like part of a family. Strengthened by the thoughts of his friends, he forced himself to stand up as the gravity of the miasma tried to pull him down.

"Hua!" Bastion shouted as he sharply stretched his arms, violently dispelling the miasma that gripped him before. As he broke free, the Ultragunner emitted soft waves of gentle, comforting, white light. As the bright light spread across the battlefield, the dark miasma started to dissipate, giving way to the daylight once again.

"Damn!" Faulkner cursed. "I'll just have to smash you the old fashioned way! Gah!" Faulkner grunted as he marched Zulwarn across the beach towards Ultragunner. The 2 mechs began their clash trading blocked punches and pushes. Zulwarn then dove in with an uppercut to Ultragunner's stomach. The energetic Ultragunner countered with a backfist to Zulwarn's forehead, from which Ultragunner turned a combination including a reverse punch and a roundhouse kick. Faulkner grunted and reeled from the hard strikes. The ever-determined madman pointed Zulwarn's hand out at Utragunner and fired several sharp blue projectiles from Zulwarn's tremendous shoulders. Marching in towards Ultragunner, Zulwarn led with a side-kick that drove Ultragunner back several yards. Bastion cringed in pain from the impact but recovered just in time to block a roundhouse kick. Zulwarn continued his combination with an elbow to Ultagunner's face. The strike sharply forced Ultragunner's head back, but then Bastion recovered and had Ultragunner kick Zulwarn's shin. Ultragunner then grabbed Zulwarn's head and forcefully pulled Zulwarn's into Ultragunner's awaiting knee. Zulwarn rolled with strike, backpedaling several steps. "Draw!" Faulkner shouted as Zulwarn produced the Soulstab and fired a ring of energy blasts at Ultragunner. Inside the Ultragunner's bridge, Bastion flexed his pectorals and tensed his shoulders. In response, Ultragunner fired wide, white energy beams from 2 concealed guns on its shoulders, neutralizing the black blasts. Seeing the Soulstab halberd in Zulwarn's metal hands, Bastion drew Eternus, the Ultragunner's great sword. Bastion and Faulkner stared each other down via their mechs as Zulwarn and Ultragunner attempted to circle one another.

"Come on, Faulkner, bring it!" Bastion dared.

"Try me, rookie!" Faulkner taunted back.

Simultaneously, the mechs swung their melee weapons at each other, and several loud clangs resounded between them as their blades collided. Zulwarn swung the Soulstab overhead, which Ultragunner met with an upward block. Pressing his halberd against the Eternus, Faulkner motioned for the Zulwarn to push at Ultragunner. Bastion had the Ultragunner push back, causing them to separate again. Zulwarn quickly dove forward with front kick, which stunned Ultragunner long enough for Zulwarn to wind up and deliver a hard thrust with spear of the Soulstab. Finally, Zulwarn made a charging tackle against the Ultragunner, causing it to fly backwards and fall on its back.

"Ouuff!" Bastion shouted as Ultragunner hit the earth.

Zulwarn gestured its open hand forward and outstretched its fingers. The Heaven's Gate symbol formed before Zulwarn in response.

"We've still got power, Bastion. Let's get back in this!" Puck encouraged.

Zulwarn started flinging black throwing-stars at the slots in the black pentagram with wrist-snapping motions.

Recovering from the bump, Bastion affirmed, "Right. We can't let him destroy this world like he tried to destroy ours. I just wish we didn't bring him here."

"Don't blame yourself for that, Bastion. We had no way of controlling that."

Ultragunner rose back to its feet, gripped the Eternus in both hands, and sprinted aggressively at its nemesis. Coming with range as Zulwarn held the Soulstab high above its head ready to chop the Heaven's Gate symbol, Ultragunner swung Eternus in a hard slash across Zulwarn's shoulders, knocking it off-balance and dissipating the icon of black energy it had produced. Finishing the follow-through of its massive swing, Ultragunner then took the Eternus in its right hand and back-slashed the side of Zulwarn's head. A deep gash appeared in Zulwarn's metal collar. Ultragunner pulled the incredible sword back around Zulwarn's left shoulder in an attempt to finish the combination, but this time the Eternus met a hard block from the Soulstab. Ultragunner reacted quickly by C-stepping into a left hook to Zulwarn's head. To finish the assault, Ultragunner shouldered the Eternus, grabbed Zulwarn's head in both hands and pulled it forward slightly while moving a leg behind one of Zulwarn's, and then shoved Zulwarn's head in an backwards arch shape while buckling its right leg.

"Nice slam!" Puck congratulated.

"It's not over yet!" Bastion advised, as he cued the Ultragunner to swing Eternus into his grounded nemesis. Zulwarn rolled away from the great white sword and pointed the Soulstab up at Ultragunner, firing yet another ring of black lasers. Ultragunner backpedaled with the stunning blast as Zulwarn returned to its feet and re-engaged its opponent. More clangs echoed as the Eternus and Soulstab collided during the wielders' attempts to inflict more damage upon each other. After yet another clash of metal on metal, Ultragunner made a quick side-hop to the right and made an inward slash at Zulwarn's exposed shoulder. Zulwarn dodged the strike with a quick knee-dropping hop and countered with a halberd chop to Ultragunner's back. After landing the hard chop, Zulwarn lifted up Ultragunner from behind and threw the mighty white mech as hard as Faulkner could make it with a 2-handed thrusting motion.

"Whoooaa-aah!" Bastion screamed as the Ultragunner sailed face first into the solid ground. Cracks formed in Ultragunner's chest plate.

"We've gotta turn it up now. Puck, give me all the power you got!" Bastion urged.

From the Zulwarn, Faulkner boasted, "I have you now, sweet prince!" Zulwarn formed the black pentagram as Ultragunner started to stand back up. Faulkner, so focused on forming the Heaven's Gate symbol and throwing energy stars into the outer ring, did not notice that Ultragunner was leaping high into the air while Eternus was charging up with soft white energy. Ultragunner had the Eternus great sword held in both hands atop its head, blade pointing back.

"Hang on, Puck," Bastion warned his diminutive friend before he shouted at the top his lungs, "Soaring Dance!" Ultragunner, aglow with white energy, dove at Zulwarn at a 45 degree angle with a crushing overhead swing of Eternus.

Zulwarn raised the Soulstab above head-height and loudly shouted, "Heaven's Gate!" as he struck the spinning black pentagram he had just produced. As he finished his final strike, Ultragunner suddenly came crashing down on Zulwarn with a tremendous strike that knocked Zulwarn flying off its feet and back into a rocky crag. Faulkner screamed in startled pain upon the brutal impact. As Zulwarn flew back, a long streak of white energy exploded in Zulwarn's face, neck, and chest, causing pieces of its lower face to detach. When Zulwarn fell on its backside, its head suddenly slumped over as the previously weakened connection between its collar and neck collapsed. "Ughf!" Faulkner grunted as his mech his the earth.

Faulkner glanced over at Ultragunner, which was restoring its stance. Zulwarn raised its right hand in Ultragunner's direction and clenched it into a fist. The Heaven's Gate symbol, now located directly below Ultragunner's feet, contracted into a tall, slender tower of energy, which violently exploded over Ultragunner's entire frame, ravaging it fiercely. Inside, Bastion and Puck piercingly screamed in painful terror. As the sparks projected in every direction, Ultragunner's cracked chest plate shattered, sending pieces all over the nearby grounds and exposing the inner components of the Ultragunner. When the explosions finally relented, Bastion, breathing hard and still in pain, declared, "We gotta end it!" Ultragunner slowly moved its left leg forward.

Seeing the Ultragunner damaged but still standing, Faulkner struggled hard, trying to will the Zulwarn to move, but its legs would simply not respond. "Damn it!" Faulkner cursed. Ultragunner took another slow, difficult step in Zulwarn's direction. Faulkner sulked slightly, then angrily grunted at Bastion, "You haven't seen the last of me, kid!" Faulkner opened a glass covering to a large, red button on the Zulwarn's control console. He then slammed his open hand on the button. Blood flowed out of Zulwarn's reserve tanks and into the engines. Zulwarn's detached parts glowed with energy and flew towards the mech's superstructure. Soon, Zulwarn itself was nothing more than a glowing, amorphous ball of dark blue energy. Finally, the dark-glowing remnants of the Zulwarn faded from sight.

"Grr..he got away!" Bastion lamented. Ultragunner then dropped to its knees.

"Bastion, we're damaged and out of power." Puck added.

[1] MMPR Episodes 39-40, "Doomsday"


	8. Chapter 8

The rangers stared at the viewing globe in awestruck wonder. Finally recovering from the wave of stimulation, Tommy broke the silence, "Unbelievable."

"Bastion's zord is something else," Zach opined.

Feeling considerably relieved, Kimberly shared, "I'm just happy he stopped that guy from killing again."

"At least temporarily anyway," Billy added.

Regaining some confidence, Jason said, "With a zord like that on our side, we can definitely save Angel Grove and the world."

"We need to work together with Bastion to win this one," Trini concurred. She continued, "Zordon, I think we should bring him here."

"Agreed," Zordon responded. "Only by working together can we stop this enemy. Alpha, locate Bastion with the teleporter and bring him here."

"Wait, Zordon!" Trini objected. "We can't drag him here. For this to work, he has to come willingly."

"I'm with Trini," Jason stated. "We should talk to him first. If I'm right about him, he'll want to help us."

"We can probably find him at the Youth Center. I talked to him at the fair; he said he'd be up for some practice," Tommy informed his teammates.

"And that's where we first met him," added Zack.

After a brief pause, Zordon replied, "Very well then. As soon as you can, please bring Bastion and his friend Puck here. We have much to discuss." 

"Yike. What a mess," Bastion commented. "Aah!" Bastion shouted, wincing in pain from the damage to his left shoulder, and cringing yet again from the burn wounds on his arms.

"You okay, Bastion?" Puck asked.

"Yeah, just took some scrapes in the fight with Faulkner." Bastion answered. "I should get something for them."

"Maybe that fitness center keeps medical supplies. Want to go back there?" Puck suggested.

"We could. I could use some dinner anyway. But what we should do about Ultragunner? We can't just leave it here," said Bastion.

"Take the Gratia stone out. That'll keep anyone from using it, assuming anyone tries to fix it anyway," Puck advised. "Speaking of which, we will have to fix it somehow. I bet Faulkner is trying to get Zulwarn back together right now."

Bastion wrapped his fingers around the shiny green stone in the command console and removed it from the holder. All of the lights on the control panel turned off except for one flashing red LED. Bastion then placed the Gratia in his belt pouch. Moving towards the elevator, he told Puck, "Looks like we're walking back to town."

Bastion and Puck walked with purpose into the Angel Youth Grove Center. Puck reiterated, "Good thing we caught that bus in the city."

Spotting the benevolent, heavyset owner at the counter, Bastion told Puck, "There's Ernie!" The 2 youths made their way up to the bar area. Ernie and a few customers were intently watching a news broadcast. Curiously catching familiar sights on Ernie's screen, Bastion and Puck accelerated over to the TV to have a closer look. Recognizing the footage he saw at the multi-cultural fair of the zords fighting Zulwarn, he quietly muttered, "Incredilble."

"It's scary out there," Ernie told Bastion. "I sure hope the power rangers stopped that big tank. The footage got cut off, so we've all been a little on edge."

"Power rangers?" Puck asked.

Realizing that Bastion and Puck were new to Angel Grove, Ernie spoke with inflection, "Oh yea," then continued explaining, "For a while now, evil monsters have been invading us. They try to smash our buildings, they hurt and kidnap people, mess with our resources, you name it. The military can't fight them, not without causing bad collateral damage anyway. But the power rangers, with their incredible abilities and their big robots, can and have stopped every monster attack we've had so far. Without them, our whole world would belong to an evil dictator from another planet."

"Wow. I didn't realize things were so dangerous here." Bastion acknowledged.

"Well, the power rangers have kept us safe. Still, that footage was a little unnerving." Ernie shared.

"I can see why. But maybe I…mean...somebody stopped that black ATaa…robot." Bastion offered.

"I hope so," Ernie said. Changing the subject, Ernie asked, "So Bastion, you need something?"

"Yea. Do you have any medical items? I need to treat some burns and wrap my shoulder." Bastion explained.

"Ooh," Ernie winced. "Yeah, I got a few things in my office you could use. How'd it happen?"

"Oh, I.." Bastion stammered. "I must have thrown out my shoulder playing at the fair. And I got too close to a cooking demo and burned forearms."

While skeptical of Bastion's story, Ernie was still willing to help him. The generous proprietor directed Bastion to a door on a wall in the area beyond the counter, then left the bar area through a door behind the counter, meeting Bastion and Puck inside a small office. Handing Puck 2 white and red boxes, he informed Puck, "Everything should be right here."

"Thanks, Ernie!" Puck said in gratitude. "Also, could I order a grilled swordfish dinner?"

"Oh yeah, I could go for the southern fried chicken myself." Bastion added.

"I'll put 'em in for ya!" Ernie said with a smile as he returned to the counter.

Wrapping Bastion's shoulder, Puck quietly shared, "I hope he doesn't suspect anything."

Bastion replied, "I realized partway in that we probably shouldn't let anyone know that we were driving the Ultragunner. If anyone finds out, someone like Faulkner could try to blackmail us into misusing it."

"You're right," Puck concurred. "Speaking of which, it sounds like it was those Power Rangers who were fighting Faulkner before we got there."

"They might've saved us too. Faulkner's right about one thing: Ultragunner can't beat Zulwarn alone," Bastion shared.

Finishing Bastion's shoulder brace, Puck said, "That should do it."

Bulk and Skull strutted into the Youth Center, looking for trouble. Marching up to the counter, Bulk demanded, "Get me something to eat, Ernie!"

"You'll have to order it first and wait, boys," Ernie asserted. Turning his attention elsewhere, Ernie reached for 2 newly deployed meals, passed them to Bastion on Puck, and said, "Here ya go, fellas." Bastion and Puck thanked Ernie and took their plates to an empty table near the counter

Getting annoyed, the ever impatient bully Bulk loomed over Puck and declared, "OK then, I'll just have some of this kid's fish. Looks a little big for him anyway."

"Ha Ha! Good call, Bulky!" Skull laughed.

Puck looked up at the much larger Bulk, feeling intimidated. Ernie grabbed a small container of hot chili from the shelves under the counter and started walking out to Bastion and Puck. Angered at the threats, Bastion stood up, glared at Bulk and told him, "Back off, bonehead..!" Bastion's words cut off as he winced in pain and grabbed his injured shoulder with his good hand.

"Haha! He can't stop ya Bulky he's hurt!" Skull taunted.

Ernie walked in the space between 2 rows of tables. When arriving at Bastion and Puck's table, he handed the cup of chili to Puck and whispered, "Give 'im a whiff of this," with a wink.

"Now then, little twerp. Let's have that fish," Bulk ordered while leaning in and deeply inhaling to smell the delicious swordfish. Puck held the chili cup up to Bulk's inhaling nose. Bulk suddenly stopped inhaling and coughed a few times as his face started to take a red tint. Puck chuckled lightly. Bulk then screamed in fright as he grabbed Skull by the jacket collar and shouted at him, "It's the chili from the fair, Skull! Let's get out of here!" Bastion and Puck laughed a little as they watched the 2 punks flee in terror.

"Thanks, Ernie!" Bastion shouted back to the counter. Ernie smiled and nodded back.

The 6 power rangers seriously but happily entered the Angel Grove Youth Center. First to notice Bastion, Trini pointed over to the tables near the counter and observed, "They're right over there."

Jason spoke to his friends, "Trini, Billy, Zack: You guys know them best, so you should greet them first."

"Sounds good, Jase!" Zack agreed. Zack proceeded to lead Billy and Trini over to the counter area. Bastion and Puck were very engrossed in the meal, and did not notice they had company until Trini sat down beside Puck.

"Hey guys! Mind if we join?" Trini greeted.

"Trini!" Puck shouted excitedly. "Not at all!" Trini lightly and briefly hugged Puck around his shoulders. Puck blushed in shy happiness.

Zack now sat beside Bastion, prompting Bastion to greet him with a pull-out handshake. "Hey Zack. Good to see you again," he said.

"Likewise, bro," Zack returned. Seeing Bastion's shoulder wrappings, Zack asked, "Ooh. You okay man?"

"Yeah, just took a few bumps earlier," Bastion vaguely explained.

Billy, seated at the end of the table between Trini and Zack, asked Bastion and Puck, "Did you have a satisfying experience at the festival?"

"I sure did!" Puck answered. "Uncle Howard even showed me how to work on the ships in bottles. And there were some cool showings of new emerging technology."

Bastion continued eating his meal as Trini spoke to him, "Hey Bastion, I heard you played some sports with my other friends; they're here if you want to say hi to them again."

Still eating, Bastion nodded enthusiastically. Finally finishing his dinner followed by his drink, Bastion finally told her, "Definitely! Just let me settle this." Bastion and Puck returned their dishes to Ernie as Bastion produced several bills from his side pack and handed them to Ernie. "That was great, Ernie!" Bastion complimented before he joined Puck and the undercover power rangers to the opposite side of the Youth Center.

"Bastion! Good to see you again, man!" Jason greeted.

Bastion extended a hand to Jason, who shook it accordingly. "Jason, was it?" he asked. "Nice to see you too." Noticing his strong opponent from the jousting contest, Bastion declared, "And Tommy! Here at the youth center just like we said we would."

"Didn't even take a whole day," Tommy joked. "But it looks like that sparring session will have to wait. You OK?" Tommy asked, noticing Bastion's shoulder and arms.

"Yea, I should be up for some more training another day. It's not broken or separated." Bastion verified.

"Tommy didn't do that to do, did he?" Kimberly asked, with a slight tease.

"Oh no," Bastion said with a light laugh. "That happened after."

Attempting to take attention off of Bastion's wounds, Puck asked the other teens, "So does the multi-cultural fair go on all weekend?"

"Yep!" Zack affirmed. "And there's gonna be a kickin' dance party here tomorrow night!"

"Sounds like fun!" Puck opined.

Taking lead of the conversation Jason turned to Bastion and told him, "Hey Bastion, I want to ask you about something."

"Sure, what is it?" Bastion said, turning his attention.

"Who exactly is Faulkner?" Jason asked.

Bastion started to answer, "He's a…" Bastion and Puck looked at each surprised at Jason's question. Bastion, now more serious, asked in return, "Wait, how do you know about Faulkner?"

Looking around to make sure civilians were not close enough to hear him, Jason told Bastion, "We fought against him. Then we saw you fighting him in that white zord."

"Zord?" Bastion said, mildly puzzled at the new word. "Oh you mean Ultragunner. But how did you connect me to it?"

"Same way we learned Faulkner's name," Tommy answered.

"Yea, sorry if it was a little rude, but we listened in on your conversation. I recognized your voice," Trini explained.

Bastion replied, "Incredible. But how could you fight him? You'd need an..(ATAC)"

Puck quietly shouted, "Bastion! From the news!"

Connecting the broadcast and what he heard from Ernie and from Eliot and Jane at the fair, Bastion excitedly asked, "Are you guys," switching to a whisper he finished, "the power rangers?"

The 6 rangers smiled and nodded. Bastion and Puck stood in impressed silence. Breaking the silence, Kimberly said, "Bastion, Puck: We need your help to stop Faulkner. Our only chance to stop him from killing is to work together."

"Faulkner may very well be here because of me. I really didn't want to drag anyone else into this." Bastion told the power rangers.

"Bastion you don't have to do this alone." Trini offered.

"Hey, man," Tommy started, "I've been a loner most of my life: I get why you want to fight your own battles, but lives are at stake here, and even I learned how important a good team is. Didn't I, Jase?"

"Y'sure did," Jason agreed.

Zack chimed in with, "Besides, we've been fighting giant monsters for awhile now. We were dragged in as soon as Faulkner attacked."

"Faulkner's crimes affect of all us, Bastion. We're in this together," Kimberly persuaded.

Bastion took in everything he heard from the 6 Angel Grove teens. After briefly pondering their input, Bastion admitted, "You're right. I had a great team behind me when we fought Faulkner in Eptina. And while my Ultragunner was the strongest of us, even I couldn't fight Faulkner 1 on 1; I needed help. I miss my old team, but my instincts tell me you guys would make a great new team."

Jason proudly smiled and praised, "Glad to hear it, bro. Listen, we'd like to talk about this at our base; will you come with us?"

"We will," Bastion confirmed.

"Yup!" Puck agreed.

Jason motioned the team towards an out of the way area in the halls connecting the main section of the Youth Center to peripheral areas. As the team filed into the obscure area, Billy looked back into the main section of the center, then turned back towards his friends to tell them, "We're clear."

Jason pressed a button on his wrist communicator. "Zordon! They've agreed to come with us." Jason informed.

"Alpha is teleporting all of you now," Zordon responded.

The rangers vanished in pillars of colorful lights. Bastion and Puck vanished in columns of white light.


	9. Chapter 9

"Welcome, Bastion and Puck!" Zordon bellowed from his tall tube.

Bastion turned around towards Zordon and jumped in shock at the disembodied head now speaking with him. Puck stared in fascination before reacting, "Whooaa!"

"Whhoo are you? And how did I get here?" Bastion slowly asked.

"Do not be afraid, Bastion. You are with friends here. This is the Command Center of the Power Rangers. I am Zordon, their mentor. When you consented to an alliance with the rangers, we teleported you and Puck here," Zordon explained.

Still amazed at Zordon's tube apparatus, Puck asked, "Are you really here?"

"Not entirely, Puck," Zordon answered. "In a decisive battle, I was transported to another dimension. Thanks to Alpha's efforts, I am able to project my image, voice, and some of my power to this world."

"Incredible..," Puck quietly opined.

Zordon continued, "Bastion: we understand that you have significant experience against Faulkner in battle. Please tell us about your history; any knowledge about our enemy could bring us closer to defeating him."

"I come from a place called Eptina. In most recent history, the most powerful nations in Eptina were my home the Pharastia Kingdom, and the malevolent Junaris Empire. After heavy conflicts, the Empire defeated my home Kingdom, and as a result, I spent most of my life with my makeshift family, avoiding the empire's forces while my father trained me to pilot an ATAC."

"ATAC. That's what zords are called where you come from, correct?" Billy checked.

"Yes, Billy. It means All Terrain Armored Combatant," Bastion confirmed. Continuing, Bastion narrated, "As my training neared completion, my father Kamorge and I made plans to unite with Kingdom allies to drive out invading empire soldiers, not just from Pharastia, but from all affected nations. Our plans took a sudden turn when we encountered a powerful Empire force, which included Faulkner, their general. Faulkner lost his family in the war, and the Emperor coaxed him into blaming Pharastia for the tragedy. As a result, Faulkner grew into a bitter and abusive soldier and eventual general of the Empire. My father shielded me and my friends from Faulkner's intended assault, but at the cost of his own life.

I knew then I had to put a stop the wars any way I could. Almost predicting my own destiny, I came to learn that Kamorge was not actually my biological father, but had been working as a bodyguard to the man who was: the King of Pharastia.

This revelation introduced a new and vital piece of knowledge: As Prince of Pharastia, I was the only one who could use the legenadary Ultragunner ATAC. My team and I obtained the Gratia stone from its keepers, and with it, I reactivated Ultragunner. Its tremendous might turned the tide of the brutal battle, and it was looking like we would soon bring peace to Eptina."

"But then Faulkner introduced an X-factor of his own: Zulwarn," Puck aided.

"Zulwarn. That's the zord he brought here, isn't it?" Kimberly determined.

"It is," Bastion verified. "Zulwarn was a long dormant ATAC from older times. Only Faulkner was insane enough to reactivate it. As you've seen, it needs human blood to run. While Faulkner was quite psychotic to begin with, old legends suggest that Zulwarn forms an eerie, symbiotic bond with its pilot, pushing that pilot to obsessively use the mech more often, and kill more people to feed it. It's an evil machine, and when it was revealed, we knew we had to destroy it, but that was going to be an extremely difficult and dangerous idea.

In our first encounter with Faulkner's Zulwarn ATAC, he hexed us with its dark magic; every ATAC on our team other than mine was reduced to half of its normal power."

Trini's eyes lit up as she proclaimed, "That's exactly what happened to us!"

"You're lucky that's all he could manage," Bastion told her. "We later discovered that he can dominate other people's minds with that power. He turned several of my friends into his mindless servants, and tried to do the same to me. But I discovered that if my force of will was strong enough, along with that of my friends, Ultragunner can counteract Zulwarn's darkness."

"Your light stopped the miasma," Tommy recalled.

"With that, we had what we needed to put an end to Faulkner's rampage. Together we battled him and his troops, which included our possessed friends. Even with our powers at full strength, Zulwarn's frightening attacks laid waste to many of my allies' ATACs. But we eventually taxed his defenses to their limits and got the upper hand. Having a feeling that the light of the Ultraguuner was the only way to completely destroy Zulwarn, I closed in to finish the job. We fought hard, and when I was ready to unleash my strongest attack, he was apparently thinking the same thing: our energies collided, and I think the resulting reaction is what brought us here." Bastion concluded his tale.

"Sorry you had to go through all of that," Kimberly empathized.

"Thanks for not leaving me to do it alone," Bastion told her.

"Bastion, if we're gonna help, we need to get the Ultragunner back and fix it." Puck remineded Bastion.

Realizing Puck was correct, Bastion spoke with an air of worried concern, "Oh my god, that's right. How are we going to do that? We'd need to tow it to a workshop somehow."

Jason smiled and told Bastion and Puck, "Sounds like you need a zord carrier. We can help you with that."

Puck checked, "You can? Really?"

"We sure can," Jason verified. Turning his attention upwards, Jason told his mentor, "Zordon, we'll go retrieve Ultragunner from the park."

"Good thinking, Jason," Zordon praised. "The zord hangar should have what we need to rebuild Ultragunner."

Billy mentioned, "While observing your battle with Zulwarn, I developed some ideas for enabling Ultragunner to work our zords more efficiently."

"I know the Ultragunner inside and out if you wanted to talk about it!" Puck added.

"You, me, Trini, and Alpha should meet up with the others at the zord hangar," Billy suggested.

Briefly thinking over the proposals, Zordon agreed, "Very well. Rangers, friends, we will reconvene here after the zord repairs are completed."

"Come on, Puck. You're gonna love this!" Trini lead as she, Billy, and Alpha-5 briskly walked out of the ring of control panels towards the side exit.

"It's morphin' time!" Jason commanded the remaining power rangers. The 4 teens reached behind their lower backs for their morphers. In sequence, Tommy, Zack, Kimberly, and Jason each called forth the spirits of their powers.

"Dragonzord!"

"Mastodon!"

"Pterodactyl!"

"Tyrannosaurus!"

Colorful lights enveloped the rangers as they flew from the command center to the park near the Angel Grove business district in streaks of light. Bastion now stood alone with Zordon in the command center. Zordon spoke, "Bastion, I would like to discuss some very specific matters with you personally. Please enter the secret chambers to the left." A hidden door then appeared at the left end of the command center opposite the viewing globe's podium. Confused curiosity in his expression, Bastion slowly walked towards and then through the newly revealed entrance.

The red, green, pink, and black rangers materialized in the park a few short yards away from the disabled Ultragunner. Jason shouted, "Let's do this! I call upon Titanus!"

Titanus, the great white brachiosaurus zord carrier marched across the lands between its hiding place and the beach park. When it was sufficiently close to the Ultragunner, Jason instructed, "Zack, Kimberly, take the controls."

"Right!" Kim and Zack said in unison. "Hya!" they both shouted while leaping for the entrance to Titanus' bridge.

Bastion walked into the dimly lit chamber, growing ever curious of its purpose. Inside he saw a control panel, a large screen, and a glass tube similar to the one that contained Zordon's image in the main part of the command center. Opposite the apparatus was a large bed with a border of small white lights. The energy tube started to glow as several lightning bolts materialized. Finally, Zordon appeared inside the tube. "You have our sincerest gratitude for protecting this world's people from Faulkner. However, I cannot in good conscience send you into a zord battle without offering you a measure of protection against further injuries," explained Zordon. "Observe," he finished.

Scenes from the rangers' battle against the Gnarly Gnome started playing on the screen. Bastion observed the ranger's morphing sequence, their battle against the Gnome, its growth to giant size, the zord summonings, and finally the zord battle. The zord battle contained high impact strikes, and a scene where the Megazord was knocked off its feet and fell to the ground. Zordon resumed explaining, "When battling in their zords, the rangers face immeasurable dangers. Enemies that size are capable of striking with crushing force. If the zords' armors do not hold, the rangers face risk of serious injury. Furthermore, if the zord is taken down, the height of the fall poses an equally serious danger. It is for these reasons that the rangers must morph into their uniforms before accessing the zords. Their power suits enhance strength, speed, stamina, and most importantly, physical resilience. With powers active, the rangers can withstand and recover from attacks that would be lethal to civilians. It is with that in mind that I would like to offer you this." A power morpher appeared on a flat surface on the control panel attached to a strange device. Bastion walked up to the device and slowly picked up the morpher. Looking at the coin inside, Bastion saw an odd, symmetrical design featuring one large shape in the middle, and 2 smaller shapes on the sides.

After staring at the power coin for several seconds, Bastion turned his attention back to Zordon and asked, "You're asking me to become a power ranger?"

"Yes, Bastion. However, I must impart on you that being a power ranger is a tremendous responsibility. Even with the durability your powers offer, you will still be risking your life every time you enter battle with the forces that threaten the people of earth. Please, take an hour to think it over. You are welcome to observe some of the rangers past experiences in this theater while you consider your decision," Zordon advised.

"What a mess!" Faulkner pined, looking over his damaged Zulwarn ATAC. "But Bastion and those other ATACs have only delayed my victory." Engaging the Zulwarn's console, Faulkner willed the twisted mech to emit its miasma wave. As the dark energies reached several civilians in the nearby suburb, their once lively expressions turned blank and empty as they began obediently walking towards Zulwarn.

"Say when, guys," Zack instructed as he drove Titanus backwards towards Ultragunner very slowly.

"Right there, Zack," Jason confirmed once Titanus was close enough.

Back inside the Titanus bridge, Kimberly advised her teammates, "Lowering the ramp!" A flat platform descended from Titanus' back. "Now for the crane magnet!" She followed up. A large girder suspending a powerful electromagnet deployed from Titanus. Kimberly flipped a switch on the rear control panel activating the magnet. The force pulled Ultragunner several feet into the air where it hovered.

"Wheel droids, now!" Jason summoned. 4 large flat carts, each bearing several wheels underneath rolled out of Titanus's lower cargo holds. 2 of the droids had 12-foot high rear walls while the other 2 had heavy metal rings in front. Jason and Tommy quickly pushed them underneath the corners of the Ultragunner, which was still resting on one knee. Jason and Tommy then proceeded to attach magnetic tethers from each droid to Ultragunner's legs, placing the droids with the rear walls at the back corners.

"All set, Kim!" Tommy shouted. Kimberly slowly reduced the crane magnet's power, causing Ultragunner to gently drop on the wheel droids. A glowing blue energy net appeared between the droids, forming a surface underneath the great white ATAC.

"Hook it up, guys!" Zack instructed, pressing another button. 2 chain-link tow cables bearing heavy hooks blasted out of Titanus's base. Jason and Tommy attached the hooks to the front droids.

"Bring it up, Zack!" Jason shouted back. Zack moved a joystick on the console forward, causing cranks to slowly pull the Ultragunner up the ramp. Once Ultragunner was completely on the ramp, Kimberly flipped a lever, which caused the rear of the ramp to rise up until it was a level platform. Finally, the platform lowered itself into the rear bed of Titanus.

Jason and Tommy leapt high towards Titanus and joined Kimberly and Zack in the bridge. Finalizing the mission, Jason said, "Let's get back to the zord hangar!" With Ultragunner in tow, Titanus chugged out of the park.

Bastion quietly walked around the command center, observing the complex instrument panels and technological structures. He wandered shyly into the zord hangar where Billy, Trini, and Puck were discussing technical details of the zords and Ultragunner. Opting against joining their conversation, he retreated to the main part of the command center and back into the side room. Looking at the tube, still lit with Zordon's glowing image, Bastion said to him, "Zordon? I'll do it!"

"Splendid," Zordon approved. "Before we begin, I need you to produce the Gratia stone you use to control the Ultragunner, along with your new power morpher."

Bastion retrieved the shiny green orb from his pouch and the ranger-morpher Zordon offered him earlier.

"Good. Now bring them together." Zordon gently instructed.

As Bastion touched the power coin to the Gratia stone, the Gratia glowed, dematerialized into white light, and flowed into the coin. The coin blinked with white light briefly as the stone vanished into it.

"What happened? Where'd it go?" Bastion asked.

"Worry not, Bastion, for your stone is safe. To turn you into a power ranger, a bond involving you, your coin, and your zord must be established. Your stone will rematerialize with your power suit when it is activated through the morpher. Now lie down on the operating bed behind you. This process will require several hours, so feel free to fall asleep for the night."

Titanus marched into the zord hangar, stopping in an open bay. The metal ramp once again lowered from its back, and this time, the decorated white Ultragunner was lowered down the ramp and into the workshop. Puck excitedly rushed over to the bay holding his best friend's ATAC while the 4 power rangers driving Titanus leapt out of the zord carrier and into the hangar. Once they were all together, Puck instructed the 6 power rangers, "Alright, here's what we need to do!"


	10. Chapter 10

Like a pit crew at a NASCAR race, the hypnotized citizens of the southern California neighborhood busily rebuilt the Zulwarn, welding, hammering, and patching every damaged section of its massive superstructure. They blankly tinkered away at the mech without a care for anything else, devoid of their former personalities. They worked throughout the evening, the late night, and the morning following, even into the afternoon.

"That should do it", Puck declared. "Great work, everyone! Ultragunner's ready and stronger than ever!"

"Good to hear; that was a lot of work." Jason weighed in.

"At least we took a break to sleep and get breakfast," Zack added.

"C'mon, let's go tell Zordon!" Kimberly suggested.

They 7 teens left the zord hangar and filed into the command center.

"Zordon?" Trini asked, seeing his empty tube.

In a flash of symmetrical blue lights, Zordon re-appeared in his tube. "My apologies, rangers. My attention was needed elsewhere."

"The zords are restored," Billy informed.

"And improved!" Puck added.

"Excellent work. Your efforts.."

Blaring alarm sirens interrupted Zordon's voice. Changing his focus, he informed the rangers, "Power rangers, the Zulwarn has reappeared and is initiating another assault this very minute."

"Faulkner's back? Already?" Kimberly asked in great surprise.

"Let's go stop him for good this time!" Tommy confidently suggested.

"Wait a minute, rangers," Alpha-5 buzzed. "Before you go, Zordon and I would like to introduce you to the newest and most powerful addition to the power rangers."

"New power ranger? You mean..?" Trini wondered aloud.

Bastion walked out through the door from the side-chamber, looking healthy and confident. "Hey guys!" he greeted.

Zack approached Bastion excitedly asking him, "Wait a minute: you're a power ranger now?"

Bastion produced his morpher for the whole team to see. The rangers reacted excitedly with shouts of "amazing!" and "incredible!"

"But Bastion, what about your shoulder?" Kimberly asked.

"It's fine" Bastion told her. "The ranger-izing process healed it."

"That's great!" Tommy stated.

"So, how about we stop Faulkner together?" Bastion asked

"Sounds excellent," Jason agreed. "Ready for your official induction?" he asked.

"Lead on, Jase; I was born ready," Bastion affirmed.

"All right then: It's morphin' time!" Jason ordered. The rangers, all 7, reached for their morphers in response.

"Dragonzord!"

"Mastodon!"

"Pterodactyl!"

"Triceratops!"

"Saber-Tooth Tiger!"

"Tyrannosaurus!"

"Ultragunner!"

Sleek power suits formed over the rangers as they flew out of the command center leaving streaks of colorful light behind them. After a short flight to the edge of Angel Grove Park, they landed atop a large city building with a flat roof, proving an amazing view of the tree-filled park. Inside the park, they saw civilians running in terror from the newly rebuilt Zulwarn.

Upon landing, the rangers curiously looked at their new teammate. Bastion now wore a white power suit, adorned with gold ankle and forearm pads and a black and gold armor vest bearing the same symbol as his power coin. His white helmet featured a gold, tiger-face mask. Trini and Kimberly flanked him on both sides and started gently touching his arms and shoulders.

"Look at you!" Kimberly proclaimed. "You look awesome as a power ranger!"

"Whod've thought we'd be getting a white ranger. And such a cute one!" Trini added.

His awkward blushing concealed under his helmet, Bastion stammered, "Well..I.."

Jason called for his team to come to focus, "C'mon guys, we gotta stop Faulkner!"

The other rangers turned to Jason as apologies such as "Oh right right" and "Sorry; I'm with ya" could be heard.

"All right, rangers," directed Jason. Zack, Trini, Kimberly, and Billy proceeded to join him as the 5 of them spoke in unison, "We need dinozord power!"

First, the big strong Tyrannosaurus rose out of its pit with a mighty roar. Second was the stalwart Mastodon, which marched out of its cold hideaway. Up next was the tough Triceratops rolling out of the sandy desert. Finally, the nimble Saber Tooth Tiger jumped out of the woods while the speedy Pterodactyl flew into battle. Upon the zords' arrival, the original 5 power rangers boldly leapt into their respective mechs and took the controls. Calling the team into action, Jason ordered, "Rangers, log on!"

"Zack here! Let's do this!"

"Billy! All systems go!"

"Trini! Ready and raring!"

"Kimberly! Flying in!"

Retaking the mic, Jason guided the team, "Rangers, power up your crystals!" as he moved his red power crystal into the slot.

The other 4 responded in kind, "2, 1, power up!" as they followed his lead.

"Move!" Jason shouted as the zords once again converged into their tank shape. Now that all 5 were in the bridge of the Megazord, Jason declared, "Going to battle mode!"

"Megazord sequence has been initiated!" the system voice acknowledged. Megazord's 2 strong arms unfolded, followed by the detaching of the Pterodactyl and the rising of the superstructure to its feet. Pterodactyl flew back towards the main body as the head of the Tyrannosaurus folded down into its chest revealing the stern face of the Megazord. Pterodactyl affixed itself to the Megazord's chest, and immediately after, the zord's spiked helmet enclosed its face. Once the helmet was locked in, the system voice verified, "Megazord activated" while its eyes glowed yellow.

Beholding the Megazord, Tommy asserted, "Time for some Dragonzord power!" as he reached for the green Dragon Dagger. Tommy slowly paid the summoning song. A few short seconds later, the waters around Angel Grove harbor violently exploded as the gigantic Dragonzord rose out of the ocean, stretched its arms, and marched into battle. Tommy made a tremendous jump from the roof of the original building to the top of the Dragonzord so he could board it.

Now alone on the rooftop, Bastion felt the eyes of the rangers fixed upon him. Guiding himself, he said, "All right; let's see if I got this right." He reached into a small pouch on his belt and pulled out the Gratia stone. Holding it tightly, he shouted, "Power up, Ultragunner!"

An enormous green wire frame shaped like Ultragunner erupted from the Gratia. Moments later, the real Ultragunner around the wire frame and struck a defensive pose. Bastion proclaimed, "Excellent! It worked!" as he jumped into the ATAC with a "Hya!"

In the command center, Puck said to Alpha-5 standing near him, "That's my cue!"

Alpha replied, "Good luck, my new friend," as Puck vanished in a flash of white light.

As Bastion arrived in the bridge of the Ultragunner, he saw Puck, now wearing a white power suit similar to Bastion's but lacking the shield vest, sitting in the co-pilot's chair. The 2 longtime friends high-fived each other just before taking to their controls. Finally, Bastion placed the Gratia into the console, causing Ultragunner to light up and flex its arms into a ready stance.

Now aware of his mecha-sized company, Faulkner shouted to his longtime opponent, "Bastion! This time I will finish you!" Faulkner focused his energy into Zulwarn's console, prompting it to emit rings of dark miasma. The 7 rangers painfully reacted to the brutal pulsing waves.

"Not when I have a team like this with me!" Bastion retorted. "Ha!" he grunted as he strongly spread his arms. In perfect synch with Bastion, the Ultragunner emitted comforting waves of light that dispelled the miasma and relieved the power rangers of its grip.

"Bastion, take point. We'll get him from the sides," Jason instructed.

"Got it!" Bastion agreed.

Once again, Ultragunner's Eternus and Zulwarn's Soulstab clanged loudly as the 2 mechs briefly dueled. After a few blocked strikes, Zulwarn snuck a stab through Ultragunner's defenses, jabbing it in the chest. As Zulwarn raised the black halberd for a combination, it movement was cut off as Megazord and Dragonzord each grabbed one of Zulwarn's arms. Ultragunner fiercely sliced the vulnerable Zulwarn with Eternus. The force of the chop pushed Zulwarn out of the zords' hold. Though shaken up, Faulkner willed his mech to blast a ring of dark energy that violently shoved his 3 opponents back several yards in a sea of sparks. Not skipping a beat, the big evil ATAC charged the Megazord violently with a shoulder tackle, causing the colorful zord to lose its footing and fall on its back.

"Uhgf!" reacted the power rangers as the sharp impact sent their Megazord flying.

"He's gotten nastier since last time!" Zack warned.

"Keep it together, guys," Jason motivated the others.

Zulwarn speedily turned around to deflect incoming attacks from the other 2 mechs. Faulkner fired a blast of dark energy from the Soulstab at Ultragunner, disorienting Bastion and Puck. Dragonzord slashed Zulwarn across its head and chest with its claws, now unsheathed.

"What'cha got, Faulkner?" Tommy challenged from the Dragonzord bridge.

Cringing from the damage, Faulkner nonetheless gloated, "More than you know, power ranger!"

Dragonzord attempted to follow its first slash with another, but Zulwarn caught it by the arm and performed a Judo throw, slamming Dragonzord into Ultragunner.

"Waaa!" the frightened Puck screamed as Ultragunner fell from being struck with its own partner.

"We need the power sword!" Jason shouted.

The beautiful steel power sword gently descended from the sky and dug itself into the ground near Megazord's position. Megazord gripped its broadsword and stared towards Zulwarn. Ready for a difficult duel, Megazord marched toward its deadly adversary and took an aggressive swing. Faulkner met the strike with Zulwarn's black halberd, Soulstab. The mechs weapon's clashed loudly again, but then the Megazord successfully struck Zulwarn's left shoulder. In one fluid motion, Megazord finished its follow through, then sharply reversed the direction of its right hand to backfist Zulwarn in its face.

"I'll show you my real power!" Faulkner boomed. Zulwarn quickly kicked Megazord in the chest, then held its hand out, fingers stretched out as far as they could go. A black pentagram flew at Megazord. Zulwarn then flicked its hand once, sending a black star to the top of the pentgram. Finally, Zulwarn closed its fist, triggering a massive energy explosion upon the Megazord.

The rangers shouted in shock as the Megazord bridge quaked and sparks flew from every corner.

"What was THAT?" Zack asked in shock.

"It's a new variation of that 'Heaven's Gate' move of his," Trini explained. "It's not as powerful, but it's a lot faster!"

While Megazord was stunned, Faulkner aggressively spun the Soulstab, hitting Megazord in the head twice, and then chopped it in the chest, denting and cracking its armor.

"Hang in there, guys!" Tommy encouraged. Tommy then drew the Dragon Dagger to play the fight song. Dragonzord's red lights beeped and blinked as the mighty green mech rose to its feet, gave a Godzilla-esque wail, and armed its missiles. Their blasts rattled Faulkner, which left him vulnerable to Ultragunner's hard left hook.

"Combinations, Bastion!" Puck reminded his longtime friend.

Ultragunner followed the punch with a sword thrust. Continuing the assault on Zulwarn, Ultragunner slashed again. Faulkner was able to weakly block the Eternus, but Bastion and Puck then took arm control of the Zulwarn, moving its guard down. Recognizing the opportunity the teamwork generated, Tommy instructed the Dragonzord to whip Zulwarn with its drilling tail.

"Gaahhh! Enough of this!" Faulkner angrily bellowed.

Zulwarn shot several of its feather-spikes at Ultragunner, which proceeded to explode, mildly staggering Bastion and Puck. Faulkner then turned his attention to Dragonzord. Focusing more energy into the control panel, Faulkner willed Zulwarn to hurl another black pentagram at Dragonzord. This time, Zulwarn, flexed its right arm, then immediately extended the arm back out in an open-handed pushing motion, causing Dragonzord to soar backwards into the air then fall on its back.

"We gotta get back in this!" Jason urged.

"Jason! Megazord's armor is damaged; if we take another hit he could break it. Or us." Kimberly warned.

"We need more armor, then," planned Jason.

"But we're separated," advised Billy.

"Bastion, can you keep him busy for a few moments?" Jason asked.

"Good as done, Jase!" Bastion affirmed.

Ultragunner closed in on Zulwarn, Eternus drawn. Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Dragonzord lay flat on its back. Inside its bridge, Tommy reached for his Dragon Dagger and encouraged "C'mon partner, we got a job to finish!" and played the 6-note Dragonzord fight song. The red lights on Dragonzord's chest plate rapidly blinked and beeped as the heavy green mech re-energized and rose its feet. Once fully balanced, Dragonzord started marching past the dueling Ultragunner and Zulwarn.

Upon landing a jab on Ultragunner, Faulkner turned its attention to the moving Dragonzord, still separated from Megazord. Tommy slowed his advance and prepared to defend against Zulwarn's impending advance, but then he heard Puck tell him through his communicator, "Tommy, keep going; we'll cover you!" as Ultragunner slashed Eternus, causing an arc of neon green light to slice Zulwarn in the back of its head.

"Aghf!" Faulkner startled.

"Thanks, buddy!" Tommy told Puck as he directed Dragonzord to the opposite side of the field. Bastion moved Ultragunner towards Zulwarn.

Dragonzord finally reached Megazord's side. Upon seeing his right hand mech beside the Megazord, Jason lead, "All right, rangers: We need Mega-DRAGON-zord power!"

Dragonzord's chest plate detached while its arms and shoulders lifted, producing an opening in its superstructure. It then affixed itself to the Megazord like a set of football shoulder pads. Tommy now appeared in the Mega Dragonzord's cockpit, sitting directly behind Jason. Upon joining the other rangers, Tommy told them, "Bastion and Puck need backup!"

"Move!" Jason instructed as Mega Dragonzord quickly charged Zulwarn, Power Sword in hand.

Eternus and Soulstab clanged together loudly twice, followed by Zulwarn harshly jabbing Soulstab's pointed spear into Ultragunner's chest. Faulkner quickly had his midnight blue ATAC deliver a left-hand punch to Ultragunner's face while pulling the Soulstab back with its right hand. Faulkner angrily charged the Soustab with black energy, pointing it Ultragunner, but was suddenly met with Mega Dragonzord's Power Sword down upon its elbow-joint. The strike disarmed Zulwarn, and the metallic axe of the Zulwarn made a loud clanging sound as it fell onto the ground. Zulwarn retaliated with a blast of spikes, causing more damaging sparks to fly. Zulwarn quickly kicked Mega Dragonzord in the stomach, then came in close to grab and twist Megazord's massive arm, causing it to drop the Power Sword, which loudly fell flat on the grassy field surface. Not wasting any time, Zulwarn backfisted Mega Dragonzord in the face, disorienting the rangers in the bridge.

Recovering his balance, Zack declared, "Man! This guy's nasty, even for the big zord!"

"Our elevated durability has proven essential," Billy explained.

"Billy's right; we're still in this!" Trini stated.

"Bastion, Puck, we need to work as a team!" Kimberly instructed her newest teammates.

"Coming right up!" Bastion confidently asserted.

Ultragunner grabbed Zulwarn's shoulders from behind and drove a knee into its back. With Ultragunner holding it in place, Mega Dragonzord delivered a fierce uppercut punch to Zulwarn's stomach. Then, Ultragunner wrapped its arms around Zulwarn's waist and performed a German suplex, slamming Zulwarn's upper back into the solid earth.

"All right, let's blast him!" Jason ordered. "Mega Dragonzord, fire!"

Mega Dragonzord tapped the backs of its fists into the heavy armor plates on its sides, seemingly triggering an energy charging glow. Energy from the 2 plates starting flowing the center of Mega Dragonzord's torso, forming a large glowing orb with a shining 'Z' in the center. Mega Dragonzord made a pushing motion with its fists, hurling the deadly orb at Zulwarn, still stumbling to a vertical base. As the orb slammed into Faulkner's wretched ATAC, a gigantic explosion sent Zulwarn flying backwards until it brutally hit the hard ground. Inside both Ultragunner and Mega Dragonzord, the power rangers cheered happily, proudly celebrating their apparent victory.

Outside of the rangers' notice, Zulwarn glowed with dark energy, its mobility and health slowly returning. Still laying on the ground, Zulwarn reached out towards the opposing mechs and started throwing black stars towards them. It then extended its right arm in the direction of the dropped Soulstab, which flew a short height off the ground back towards Zulwarn's waiting hand.

While the most of the rangers reveled in victory, Kimberly's happiness gave way to concern. Looking outside and seeing the Zulwarn's black pentagram, she warned, "Hey guys, isn't that..?"

Also noticing the eerie symbol, Puck shouted, "Look out!"

Zulwarn sprung to its feet and chopped the Soulstab downward, triggering a brutal explosion of dark energy on the ground between Ultragunner and Mega Dragonzord. The immense impace sent both mechs onto the sides as each hit the turf shoulder first.

Faulkner marched his ATAC back to the fray and gave the still-fallen Ultragunner a heavy stomp.

"C'mon, Power Ranger! Show me what you got!" Faulkner taunted.

"I don't how he survived that, but let's help Bastion and Puck!" Zack suggested.

Tommy once again drew out the Dragon Dagger and played the fight song. A steady lime green glow emanated from the eyes inside Dragonzord's head, still affixed to the Megazord like a coif over its regular helmet. As the glow wore off, the Mega Dragonzord regained its mobility. Mega Dragonzord reached for the Power Sword where it previously dropped it and climbed back to a vertical base. With a heavy swing, the power rangers bludgeoned the distracted Zulwarn with the shining broadsword. Faulkner aggressively retaliated, backfisting, axe-slashing, and finally side-kicking Mega Dragonzord. Mega Dragonzord staggered, barely managing to stay up.

"Give me all the power we have, Puck!" Bastion instructed.

"You got it!" Puck affirmed.

Ultragunner ascended once again and engaged Zulwarn with the great Eternus sword, which was met with a block from Soulstab. Zulwarn quickly turned to block a slash from its other side as Mega Dragonzord re-engaged. This change of attention bought Bastion enough time to fire a blast of white light energy from the tip of Eternus. Jason immediately followed by firing a heavy blast from Mega Dragonzord's chest cannons. Finally, Ultragunner and Mega Dragonzord front-thrust kicked Zulwarn in unison, pushing it backwards.

"Wuhhh?!" Faulker shouted as Zulwarn fell on its butt. The 2 heroic zords looked towards each other.

"I have to finish him," Bastion explained. "The light of the Ultragunner can vanquish the Zulwarn's dark power. Without Ultragunner's light, Zulwarn will just reassemble itself."

Bastion engaged the controls but Puck quickly interrupted its motion. Puck clarified, "Wait, Bastion! You're part right; Ultragunner has to destroy Zulwarn, but you don't have to go it alone; Billy, it's time!"

Over in the bridge of the Mega Dragonzord, Billy acknowledged, "Right. Guys, we need to activate the new zord formation."

"It's gonna take every zord working together to stop Faulkner," Trini clarified.

"All right then, let's finish him! All together! I call on Titanus and the power of the Ultrazord!" Jason commanded.

Titanus, the colossal white brachiosaurus mech, rolled out onto the field behind the bipedal zords. Mega Dragonzord took an enormous leap into the air, then slowly descended into the bay on Titanus's back. Pale yellow lights appeared between Mega Dragonzord's feet and Titanus's back as the mechs fused together into one massive vehicle. Now fully formed, Ultrazord rapidly rolled its way over to Ultragunner.

"All right! We're ready for you, Puck!" Kimberly confirmed.

"Thanks, Kimberly!" Puck replied.

The chest plate of the Dragonzord, now affixed on the front of the Ultrazord on Titanus's belt, folded downward. Following this, Titanus raised its long white neck raised up several yards, making room for Ultragunner to fit underneath whilst standing with its feet on either side of the Dragonzord chest plate. Barely touching the chest plate, Ultragunner seemed to hover in front of the Ultrazord as blue beams of electricity emanating from the chest plate secretly held it aloft. Bastion and Puck appeared in pillars of white light on opposite sides of Tommy in the bridge of the Ultrazord.

"Rangers, meet the brand new, Ultragunnerzord!" Puck introduced.

"This is incredible!" Tommy opined.

"Not as incredible as what we're about to do!" Zack added.

In unison, the 8 heroes shouted, "Ultragunnerzord, fire!" as they shot their arms forward extending 2 fingers on each hand in the process.

The stunned Zulwarn had finally stood back up when Faulkner noticed the newly constructed mech before him. "Wha?" he stuttered in shock.

Ultragunner extended its Eternus sword with both arms as the numerous cannons on the Ultrazord were turned inward. Immediately following, its wrists began to turn causing the gigantic sword to spin like a drill. Titanus roared as its red eyes lit up and emitted two red lasers. Finally, all the remaining weapons on the Ultrazord fired a series of energy bullets. All of these fired weapons rapidly accumulated in a pillar that glowed around Eternus. After charging for a quick couple of seconds, Eternus blasted the immeasurable mass of gathered energy at Zulwarn in a series of deadly spiraling lights.

"What the..!" Faulkner screamed before the brutal impact of the Ultragunner's assault interrupted his speech.

As the bolts violently slammed into Zulwarn, massive explosions erupted as its superstructure was torn asunder, blue armor plates flying in a myriad of directons. When the pyrotechnics stopped, Zulwarn stood motionless for a brief moment before lifelessly falling over. As his defeated ATAC plummeted to its impending death, Faulkner managed to shout, "No! Impossible!" before Zulwarn crashed into the hard ground and viciously exploded into a mess of flames and shrapnel.

The Ultragunnerzord bridge erupted into a cacophony of cheers, high 5s and 10s, screams of merriment, and gentle laughter as the delighted power rangers all felt rushes of joy, relief, and satisfaction. The celebrating power rangers smiled jovially under their helmets as Alpha-5 and Zordon observed from the Command Center.

"They did it, Zordon! Woooo!" Alpha celebrated.

"Yes they did, Alpha. Their dedication to the continued safety and freedom of the Earth truly inspires me," Zordon revealed.


	11. Chapter 11

Zack informed the many people dancing in the Angel Grove Youth Center, "All right, dancers. This next hot track is from Sweden!" as he activated the song, which started emitting a catchy beat and adorable female lyrics over the speakers flanking the DJ table. In the cleared out area of the youth center, many patrons, including the now-civilian-dressed power rangers, were happily dancing as the multicolored strobe lights illuminated the floor. Puck could be seen behind the DJ table, moderating the complex sound boards. Ernie, with a spring in his step, continued serving drinks from the counter. Kimberly and Tommy danced passionately together in the middle of the floor. As the song entered its second chorus, Jason, Billy, Trini, and Bastion stepped aside from the dance floor.

"I'm proud of you, Bastion," Jason complimented. "You really came through for us today!"

"Well, thanks, but I couldn't have done it without you. All of you," Bastion returned.

"Hey, we succeeded as a team, and that's what we are," Trini added.

"Definitely," Bastion distractedly agreed as he waved to an attractive young lady making eye contact with him from another area.

"I'll have to engage in further research to see if we can help you return home," Billy advised Bastion.

"Oh yeah" Bastion remembered. "My friends," he stopped briefly. "That is, my other friends…," he said, prompting Trini to smile, "…are probably worried sick. But for as long I'm here, I'll help you in any way I can."

The girl Bastion was greeting approached him, with a simple "Hey!" greeting, drawing a smile from him. She gently took his hand and motioned him towards the dance floor. As he started to follow, he shouted back at Billy, "But no rush on that!" Jason, Billy, and Trini laughed lightly as the party marched on.

MMPR jingle

End Credits

Fin.

Story by Brendan Callahan.

Source Material by Toei, Saban, and Human.


End file.
